Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo has promised he won’t “go crazy” at Phillip Island this weekend in his attempts to wrap up the world MotoGP title.
Yamaha’s Lorenzo holds a 23-point lead over Honda rival Dani Pedrosa, and could secure the title with the right mix of results at the Australian Grand Prix – the second-last race of the year.
But for Lorenzo, if it happens at Phillip Island, it happens.
And he has promised a cool head rather than a wild heart around the Victorian coastal track as he chases a second world championship to add to his 2010 triumph.
“It would be great and we have possibilities (to wrap up the title at Phillip Island), but we’re not going to go crazy to make it here,” Lorenzo said.
“The most important thing is to make it.
“More than ever, we must really concentrate and focus and not make any mistakes.”
Lorenzo was forced to withdraw from last year’s race at Phillip Island, ending his slim hopes of catching Casey Stoner for the championship after a warm-up crash in which he lost part of his finger.
Pedrosa goes into Friday’s practice session in red-hot form, winning five of the past six MotoGPs including last weekend’s rain-soaked race in Malaysia.
He will have to finish ahead of, or not far behind, Lorenzo to send the title chase into the final round in Spain next month, and perhaps win his maiden MotoGP championship.
“It would be good to decide the title at the final round because it’s two Spanish riders,” Pedrosa said.
“It’s been a long time since I was in this position – fighting until the end of a championship.”
Stoner, who is out of championship contention, is chasing his sixth successive Australian victory in Sunday’s race – his last MotoGP on home soil before retirement.
Stoner is still recovering from ankle surgery following a fall in August.
He will be joined by a second Australian on the grid – Kris McLaren getting a late call-up this week to replace injured Colombian rider Yonny Hernandez in the Avintia team.
It will be the 26-year-old Victorian’s debut MotoGP race.
McLaren has been riding in the Spanish Moto2 series, and competed in last year’s Moto2 race at Phillip Island.
