Yamaha Won't Fight for Lorenzo

Yamaha is not going to fight for the signature of Jorge Lorenzo, in spite of rumors claiming the team is looking to secure the Spanish rider for the 2010 season. Lorenzo's contract is going to expire at the end of the season and, although he admitted he's going to consider any option he'll receive, Yamaha remains a priority.

Yamaha's head Masaro Furusawa confirmed the team's interest for Lorenzo but emphasized he won't do any financial effort to appoint the Spanish rider. "We are interested in Jorge," Furusawa told Gazzetta dello Sport. "We are in talks but we know about Honda's offer: if he wants to go with them, we won't be raising our stakes in order to retain him."

Lorenzo said during the weekend that his current team is still the first option for the upcoming season and revealed there's still no offer from Honda.

"At the moment Yamaha is the first option: I'd like to stay here. We are talking," Lorenzo stated. "There is no offer [from Honda], but I can't say whether some discussions are taking place. I can say that at the moment, with nothing signed, my manager and I are open to anything."

Lorenzo, who started the American GM at Laguna Seca from pole-position finished third last weekend, almost two seconds behind team-mate Valentino Rossi and winner Dani Pedrosa. Lorenzo is current second overall, with a total of 142 points, while his Italian colleague is first with 151 points. Jorge Lorenzo is the first MotoGP rider who managed to score three consecutive pole-positions in his first three MotoGP appearances.