Sepang MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo silent on Motegi row

Jorge Lorenzo has refused point-blank to continue his complaints about the tactics employed by Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi during their thrilling podium fight at last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.

Lorenzo felt Rossi’s overtakes in an epic final two laps at the Twin Ring Motegi bordered on being too aggressive as they touched in the closing stages.

The Spaniard felt Rossi had taken too many risks to beat him to third, potentially jeopardising his prospects of wrapping up his first MotoGP world crown in 2010.

The 23-year-old was so angered that he complained to Yamaha management and Rossi was told by senior race boss Masao Furusawa not to adopt similar tactics in a fight against his team-mate in the future.

Lorenzo and Rossi both attended today’s pre-event press conference at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia today and while the Italian was happy to discuss his thoughts on the late Twin Ring Motegi drama, Lorenzo refused to be drawn on his opinions.

Lorenzo, who needs only to finish in the top ten in Sunday’s Sepang race to claim his maiden MotoGP world title, dodged any questions about last weekend’s race that consigned him to a second successive fourth spot.

“What happened in Japan? Oh yes, I signed two more years with Yamaha, “ was his short response to the first question about another titanic tussle with Rossi that he lost.

When the pair diced closely in Catalunya, Sachsenring and Brno in 2009, Rossi always prevailed and when MCN asked Lorenzo if he still stood by his post race comments in Japan, he said: “I don’t want to speak about the past.”

Lorenzo was at pains to draw attention away from his scathing attack on Rossi to focus more on the biggest weekend of his career in Sepang.

Standing on the brink of capturing his first MotoGP world title to take Rossi’s crown, Lorenzo said he would he at least try and savour the moment.

He admitted he was nervous but said: “It could be a very special weekend for me, my team and my family and all the people supporting me. We must be excited and concentrated and try to enjoy it and see what happens.

“I hope no bad luck comes to us. I’d like to approach it with confidence and with speed and not thinking too much about the championship and the points. But this race is going to be the most important race of my life, so I don’t know how I will act.”

On the eve of the race, he said he had mixed emotions and added: “I have a combination of feelings. On one side I feel a bit nervous and I guess this feeling will increase every hour and another part you try to enjoy it as much as possible.

“These moments are rare and you have to try and keep them in your head for the future when you get old. Maybe I will win more championships in the future but none of them will perhaps be so emotional or important as the first one.”