Unlike his first title (My Story So Far) Lorenzo’s new photographic tome was written in English first – by OTOR’s very own Matthew Roberts no less – and then translated into Spanish. With almost 400 photos from childhood to that emphatic 2010 campaign and with plenty of behind the scenes glimpses; this is the definitive ‘insider’ document on the rider who is very active with Twitter (@lorenzo99) and allows the fans to get closer to his activities than perhaps any other high profile racer.
‘I think the section with the photos of my childhood is the part of the book that people might enjoy because these bring a kind of intimacy to it,’ he said. ‘I’m a bit embarrassed by a few of them but it is nice for the fans to see.’
It is the second publication for Lorenzo who has yet to turn 24 (in three weeks) but has a remarkable story after essentially growing up in the paddock since making his GP debut on his fifteenth birthday. ‘I don’t think I’ll be arriving to a total of seven books or something by the time I finish in MotoGP,’ he jested ‘but I like these projects because it is a way for the fans to really see and know a bit more about me.’
Talk moved to other subjects when proceedings were opened to the floor and the factory Yamaha rider revealed that he is set to test the new 1000cc M1 motorcycle after the Grand Prix in Italy at Mugello on July 3rd. ‘Of course the bike will be bigger with more power and I hope the engine will be strong. I am not an engineer, in fact I don’t even know how to take a wheel off, they just give me the bike and I go as fast as I can.’
When asked for his view on the Stoner/Rossi incident at Jerez and whether he’d apologise with his helmet still on (in reference to Rossi’s public apology after the race to the Australian) he said: ‘We can get pretty het-up sometimes and when we are ‘caliente [hot] then we really are! Those kinds of things can happen in a race. I’m a guy of few words without a helmet so imagine what I am like with one on!’
The press conference took place in Barcelona’s Diagonal high street, only a few hundred metres from FC Barcelona’s Camp Nou. With Lorenzo’s team set to play Real Madrid four times in the next eighteen days the Mallorcan was asked his opinion on the course of La Liga, the Kings Cup and the Champions League. ‘I think the cups are more important for us,’ he said. ‘Let Madrid have the league, I’ll be happy with the Copa del Rey and the Champions.’
The New King of MotoGP costs 19.95 euros (£20 in the UK) and is available for sale on Amazon in Great Britain from May 5th.
