Three-time MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo says he will retire after the season-ending Valencia Grand Prix this weekend.
The 32-year-old Lorenzo said on Thursday he lost his motivation and didn’t want to keep “defrauding” team Honda any longer.
The Spanish rider missed three races this season after breaking a vertebra in practice for the Netherlands race in July. He hasn’t finished better than 14th since then.
Spanish rider Jorge Lorenzo of the Repsol Honda Team crashes during qualifying at Sepang International Circuit ahead of the MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019. (AP PhotoFL Wong)
“I wasn’t in normal physical conditions to remain fast and competitive,” Lorenzo said in a news conference.
Lorenzo’s best finish of the season was 11th in May in France.
He won his MotoGP titles with Yamaha in 2010, 2012, and 2015. He won the 250cc championships in 2006 and 2007.
Spain's rider Marc Marquez of the Repsol Honda Team, front, and his teammate Spanish rider Jorge Lorenzo steer their bike during first practice at Sepang International Circuit ahead of the MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix in Kuala Lumpur, Friday, Nov. 1, 2019. (AP PhotoVincent Thian)
He left Yamaha for Ducati in 2017, and this season joined Honda on a two-year contract.
Lorenzo said he has no future plans other than looking forward to a “long vacation with sun and beach.”
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