Lorenzo was born on the Balearic island of Mallorca, Spain on 4th May 1987. He began

riding motorbikes at home at the tender age of three and within months of taking to

two wheels was competing in his first minicross races. In 1995, aged eight, he won the

Balearic title and followed that up the following year by taking the Island’s minicross, trial,

minimoto and junior motocross titles.

Lorenzo graduated to road racing and national competition in 1997 and it didn’t take him

long to adjust, winning the Aprilia 50cc Cup in 1998. Despite officially being too young,

a special dispensation in 2000 allowed him to compete in the Spanish 125cc series at

the age of 13 and he made history the following year when competing in Europe and

becoming the youngest ever winner of a European 125cc race.

The precocious teenager, once again showing that age was no limit to a quick rise up

the ranks of motorbike racing, made his first foray onto the world stage with Derbi at the

Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez in 2002, the third round of the season. He did not reach

the legal age of 15 until Saturday and therefore missed the first day of practice but was

unfazed by this and impressed the paddock by qualifying for the race, cementing his

position in the World Championship over the course of the season as he got to grips with

the circuits.

The young Mallorcan came of age the following season, winning his first 125cc Grand

Prix in Rio de Janeiro and then going on to win three more races the following season,

finishing fourth in 2004 and taking his podium tally to nine before making the step up the

quarter-litre class and switching to Honda machinery. Six podium finishes and four pole

positions in his rookie 250cc season sealed fifth in the championship and, with a move to

the Aprilia factory team, 2006 was widely expected to be his defining year.

Lorenzo indeed surpassed all expectations in 2006, dominating the class with eight wins

and a record-equalling ten poles, clinching his first world title convincingly. 2007 saw

more of the same and an incredible nine pole positions saw him win from every single

one of them, claiming his second world title at the penultimate round in Sepang. He also

became the most successful 250cc Spanish rider of all time in the process.

2008 sees Lorenzo make the step up to MotoGP with Yamaha, where he will partner

Valentino Rossi in the Fiat Yamaha Team. A colourful character, Lorenzo has a fondness

for exuberant post-race celebrations, which make him a popular figure with the fans.

His nickname ‘X Fuera’, is an allusion to his flamboyant outside overtaking style.