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Lorenzo to replace Pedrosa at Honda; Ducati pick Petrucci

Jorge Lorenzo will team up with reigning MotoGP champion Marc Marquez at Repsol Honda in 2019, having finalised a switch from Ducati.

JorgeLorenzo - cropped

Bengaluru, June 7: Three-time MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo will team up with reigning champion Marc Marquez at Repsol Honda in 2019, having finalised a switch from Ducati.

Lorenzo, a three-time champion with Yamaha, has struggled since making the switch to Ducati in 2017, finally enjoying his first win with the team in Italy on Sunday amid speculation surrounding his future.

That was a landmark win as the Mallorcan became only the sixth man in the MotoGP era to win races on more than one bike, following 44 wins for Yamaha.

The Spaniard said after the victory that it had changed "nothing" in terms of his plans for coming seasons.

And following the announcement of Dani Pedrosa's impending departure from Honda on Tuesday, ending an 13-year association with the outfit, Lorenzo has sealed his move to line up alongside Marquez in a formidable team.

Lorenzo will ride for Honda in 2019 and 2020.

The statistics of the superstar line-up of Marquez and Lorenzo at Honda make for incredible reading: the two men share a total of 11 Championships, 130 victories and 255 podiums between them - many of which have been fought against each other.

The two are also the only riders to have been crowned MotoGP world champions since 2011 - Lorenzo in 2012 and 2015, adding to his first premier class crown taken in 2010, and Marquez in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017.

Petrucci comes in for Lorenzo

Meanwhile, Ducati has picked Danilo Petrucci as Lorenzo's replacement at its factory MotoGP squad for the 2019 season.

The decision to replace Lorenzo with Petrucci was made personally by Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali.

It is understood some senior Ducati figures were keen to give Lorenzo more time before making a final decision, especially as the team's option on Pramac rider Petrucci expires at the end of June.

But a two-year agreement for Petrucci to step up to the works team alongside Andrea Dovizioso was reached last weekend at Mugello - where Lorenzo secured his first victory as a Ducati rider.

Petrucci had a firm offer on the table for Aprilia, but that seat is now likely to go to Andrea Iannone, who confirmed ahead of the Mugello weekend he would be leaving Suzuki at the end of 2018.

(With OPTA/Agency inputs).

Story first published: Wednesday, June 6, 2018, 15:34 [IST]
Other articles published on Jun 6, 2018