Lorenzo: tyre choice was a mistake

By Sam Tremayne

Sunday, August 14th 2011, 16:02 GMT

Jorge Lorenzo admits he made a mistake in opting for the hard Bridgestone front compound in Brno - a decision which left him struggling for front end grip during the race.

The Spaniard was the only front-runner to opt for the hard front compounds, as the rest of the field - with the exception of Suzuki's Alvaro Bautista - elected for the extra hard option instead.

Lorenzo said he had based his decision on track conditions from Saturday, but realised as early as the second lap that it was the wrong option for the race.

"The front tyre we chose was not the best option today," the reigning champion conceded. "We tried it in qualifying and it gave me a really good feeling and very constant pace, but today with the different conditions and temperature it was not working.

"From the beginning of the second lap I was really close to losing my front end in every corner, so it was difficult to improve on fourth position."

With Lorenzo's title rival Casey Stoner claiming victory, his deficit to the Australian now stands at 32 points - a gap he insists can still be closed down.

"The championship is now even more difficult for us but that doesn't mean it is finished," he said.

"There are still a lot of points to be played for so we must focus on winning the most races we can. We must try and forget this race, which is probably one of the worst this season and possibly in my MotoGP career."

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Source: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/93767

Akira Yanagawa Wataru Yoshikawa Jorge Lorenzo Andrea Dovizioso