The final rounds of the 2015 MotoGP season have become one of the most thrilling and talked-about endings to a season in the history of motorsports.
Jorge Lorenzo came out victorious, securing his third and final world title at the expense of his Yamaha teammate, Valentino Rossi, who finished as the runner-up by just five points.
The final rounds are soaked in controversy, with Rossi’s infamous kick on Marc Marquez being the precursor to their long-standing feud, which is still ongoing today.
Rossi also accused Marquez of aiding Lorenzo in the final rounds of the season, which was a factor in the Italian lashing out at the Honda rider in Sepang.
The Doctor was given a penalty which forced him to start the final race of the season, the Valencia Grand Prix, from the back of the grid.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Valentino Rossi from stats to net worth
MotoGP rivals pushed Jorge Lorenzo to perform in the ‘most important moment’ of his career
In an episode of the YouTube series titled Diario de una Flipada, Lorenzo delved into his thoughts and feelings going into the 2015 season-closer in Valencia, recalling, “I had always been behind Valentino.
“But in Valencia, if he finished fourth and I won the race, I would pass him and be world champion. But for that, I had to stop Pedrosa and Marquez from finishing ahead of me, because if I were third and he was fourth, then he would win, and Pedrosa and Márquez were really fast in Valencia with the wind.
“So I had to do the best lap of my life, the most perfect lap of my life on Saturday with new tyres in the last minutes of qualifying, and be perfect in the race and have a perfect race because otherwise Pedrosa wanted to beat me, and Marquez too.
“So, precisely the most important moment of my career, where I had to be perfect, I did the best lap of my life and in the race, I started first. I didn’t mess up the start; in fact, I didn’t make a mistake in any corner during the 45 minutes of the race.
“And that is, in moments of pressure, when a professional with many years of experience brings out their best version.”
Jorge Lorenzo had a ‘tension’ filled relationship with Valentino Rossi at Yamaha
Lorenzo and Rossi’s relationship in the premier class began when the Italian was told about Yamaha’s plan to sign the reigning Moto2 champion ahead of the 2008 season.
Rossi was furious with Yamaha, feeling let down that the team he had given so much effort to was looking towards new talent that could threaten his standing as the lead rider.
RankRiderPoints1Jorge Lorenzo3302Valentino Rossi3253Marc Marquez2424Dani Pedrosa2065Andrea Iannone1882015 MotoGP riders’ standings
Their relationship was filled with ‘total tension’ from then on. Lorenzo described his relationship with Rossi now as ‘cordial’, but stated that they have mutual respect but wouldn’t consider each other friends.
The 2015 season would be the closest Rossi got to adding to his tally of nine Grand Prix world championships.
He attempted to take the fight to Marquez the following year, but the Spaniard proved to be too much for the ageing rider.