After just one season with Repsol Honda, Jorge Lorenzo decided it was enough and ended his MotoGP career at the end of 2019. Since then, he hasn’t stayed away from the tracks, competing in some car racing events – such as the Porsche Carrera Cup Italia, the Porsche Supercup, and this year, the Italian GT championship.
Other former MotoGP riders have returned to the premier class as test riders, wildcards, or substitutes after retiring full-time. An example is Cal Crutchlow, but the most prominent one is Dani Pedrosa – after his strong performances last year as a KTM wildcard.
Lorenzo was asked by Mundo Deportivo if he still feels nostalgic about competing in MotoGP, to which he replied that he currently feels happier than when he was competing in MotoGP:
– Motorcycles and competition have been part of my life for 30 years. They continue to be part of my life, but in a different way. […]. The adrenaline and happiness that winning races and being a MotoGP champion generate is very difficult to achieve in other aspects of life. But to achieve victories and titles, you have to sacrifice many things in life and lose others that are also very interesting. It is very difficult to repeat those peaks of happiness. But now, averaging my days, I consider myself happier than before.
And not even Pedrosa’s surprising performances in 2023 make Lorenzo want to return to MotoGP tracks, as assured by the three-time premier class champion: ‘In no way, that chapter of my life is completely closed. If I didn’t come back at 33 or 34, I’m not going to do it now. Not even to be a test rider. The adrenaline and competition are given to me by cars, and without as much risk, I don’t think I’ll work again as a motorcycle rider’.