Jorge Lorenzo at the 2010 Spanish Endurance Championship

Yesterday, the rider Jorge Lorenzo took part in the race of the Spanish Endurance Championship held at the Circuit de Catalunya, fulfilling one of his dreams of racing in a national four-wheel event. So, at the wheel of a Fiat 500 Abarth, he has completed this first round, as he will also take part in a race at Alcañiz.

Qualifying did not go very well for him, as he posted one of the slowest lap times, so he had to start from the back of the grid (an enormous grid, we were not far from having the cars reach the braking zone before the finish line… many of them). Even though he was at the back, he was the driver generating the most attention, with the Fiat surrounded by journalists (myself included).

When he reached the car and saw the crowd, he commented that the first one was up front, trying to make a joke. But he knows very well the interest he generates as the MotoGP World Champion that he is, so after getting ready, he got into the car and started the race.

A 120-minute race plus one additional lap, and the Mallorcan, together with his co-driver José Manuel de los Milagros, kept making up ground and gradually climbed positions, finally finishing in a very respectable 23rd place, considering there were 47 cars on track at the end of the race. He set his best lap at 2:12.403.

A new experience for Lorenzo, one that might become a future option, although he still has to make a big impact in MotoGP and will need to step up, because in 2011 a fearsome group is coming after the crown: Stoner, Rossi, Pedrosa and Spies.

The CER has been a very entertaining experience, very interesting. So we thank the organization and the Circuit de Catalunya for accrediting us for the event.

Don’t miss the gallery at the bottom.

We will keep an eye on Jorge Lorenzo.