With a fifteenth Grand Prix podium in Assen for Jorge Lorenzo which continues his almost perfect run of podium finishes in 2009, with only a crash when chasing third place at Jerez to blemish his record this season, for the sophomore competitor was left pondering what might have been had he been speedier off the line on Saturday in which he got caught at the beginning.

“I am happy, because despite an awful start and there being some sections of the track where I lost a lot of ground, I pushed at my limit. Especially at the start of the race,” said Lorenzo.

“When I saw that my front tyre was starting to slide, I said ‘enough’ and settled for second place,” he also added, showing his maturity in chasing points rather than glory that has won many a rider the World Championship. “We had a great race with a fierce pace that dropped half a second, so I really couldn’t have done any more.”

With the race next week at Laguna Seca, a site at which Jorge Lorenzo crashed out last season just seconds into the Sunday showdown. The Spanish rider is as most would expect, unfased by this fact and looks forward to the race.

“I don’t put limits on myself with tracks. I won in Japan this year and Portugal last season without ever having won at those tracks, so I don’t think having had less track time there will be very important,” the Fiat Yamaha rider added.