It's not supposed to be this easy, but from his first three MotoGP appearances Jorge Lorenzo has taken three pole positions and three podiums - culminating in a debut premier-class victory at Estoril on Sunday.
As of that wasn't enough, the youngest rider on the MotoGP grid is now joint leader of the world championship standings - alongside arch-rival Dani Pedrosa, who took four races to claim his first MotoGP win, during 2006.
Lorenzo's runner-up finish on his MotoGP debut, at Qatar, may have been enough for many to predict a race victory sooner rather than later, but few would have picked Estoril - where Lorenzo had never won as a 125 or 250cc rider and, unlike at the first two rounds, hadn't tested his new YZR-M1.
But it turned into a comprehensive victory for the 20-year-old who, having been unable to match Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi last time out at Jerez, showed his rapid rate of progression by beating them both during Sunday's race.
Repsol Honda rider Pedrosa took the holeshot at a packed first corner, but was soon swamped by Lorenzo and the fellow Fiat Yamaha of top Bridgestone rider Rossi.
With occasional rain drops falling, the trio had a fearsome battle for the first half of the race, with Lorenzo momentarily dropping to third by lap 12 of 28. But this was to be no repeat of Jerez and the Michelin-shod rider passed Pedrosa into turn one then set off after Rossi.
The 20-year-old made his move later that same lap with a bold pass at the chicane. From then on it was a one-man-show as he extended his lead to 1.817secs over Pedrosa, who had passed Rossi for second place on lap 15.
"I feel like I'm in heaven!" beamed Lorenzo, who planted his trademark 'Lorenzo's Land' victory flag for the first time as a MotoGP rider. "First of all I have to say thank you to Yamaha and to Fiat because without their confidence in me I wouldn't be here now. I can't believe it and it's really impossible for me to describe my feelings, I'm so happy for everyone!
"The start of the race was crazy! The rain wasn't good for us mentally, it was a little scary and it looked like it might get worse. Anyway I just carried on and really I can't remember the details of exactly what happened... I remember making my pass on Valentino; I know it was quite a risk so I'm sorry to him but at that point I felt that I could make it and get away from him, so I took the chance and it worked.
"I'm so proud of everyone, to be here after just three races and at the top of the championship as well is something that I could never have even dreamed of. We didn't expect this, we thought I'd be sixth or seventh after three races, but we have to be careful because Valentino and Pedrosa are both very fast and very clever riders.
"Tomorrow I will undergo an operation on my arm pump, but for now I will celebrate as if it was the last day on earth!" concluded Jorge.
"This is a dream come true for all of us; Jorge rode an unbelievable race," added team manager Daniele Romagnoli. "Watching him fight with the others it was impossible to believe that it is only his third race and now here he is, already a winner!
"We had planned a test tomorrow but this will depend on the decision about Jorge's operation. There are three weeks until the next race so there is plenty of time for him to recover if he chooses to go ahead with it. Now we're looking forward to another exciting weekend with Jorge in China!" smiled the Italian.
Update: Lorenzo underwent an operation to help cure his arm-pump on Monday afternoon.
crash.net
As of that wasn't enough, the youngest rider on the MotoGP grid is now joint leader of the world championship standings - alongside arch-rival Dani Pedrosa, who took four races to claim his first MotoGP win, during 2006.
Lorenzo's runner-up finish on his MotoGP debut, at Qatar, may have been enough for many to predict a race victory sooner rather than later, but few would have picked Estoril - where Lorenzo had never won as a 125 or 250cc rider and, unlike at the first two rounds, hadn't tested his new YZR-M1.
But it turned into a comprehensive victory for the 20-year-old who, having been unable to match Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi last time out at Jerez, showed his rapid rate of progression by beating them both during Sunday's race.
Repsol Honda rider Pedrosa took the holeshot at a packed first corner, but was soon swamped by Lorenzo and the fellow Fiat Yamaha of top Bridgestone rider Rossi.
With occasional rain drops falling, the trio had a fearsome battle for the first half of the race, with Lorenzo momentarily dropping to third by lap 12 of 28. But this was to be no repeat of Jerez and the Michelin-shod rider passed Pedrosa into turn one then set off after Rossi.
The 20-year-old made his move later that same lap with a bold pass at the chicane. From then on it was a one-man-show as he extended his lead to 1.817secs over Pedrosa, who had passed Rossi for second place on lap 15.
"I feel like I'm in heaven!" beamed Lorenzo, who planted his trademark 'Lorenzo's Land' victory flag for the first time as a MotoGP rider. "First of all I have to say thank you to Yamaha and to Fiat because without their confidence in me I wouldn't be here now. I can't believe it and it's really impossible for me to describe my feelings, I'm so happy for everyone!
"The start of the race was crazy! The rain wasn't good for us mentally, it was a little scary and it looked like it might get worse. Anyway I just carried on and really I can't remember the details of exactly what happened... I remember making my pass on Valentino; I know it was quite a risk so I'm sorry to him but at that point I felt that I could make it and get away from him, so I took the chance and it worked.
"I'm so proud of everyone, to be here after just three races and at the top of the championship as well is something that I could never have even dreamed of. We didn't expect this, we thought I'd be sixth or seventh after three races, but we have to be careful because Valentino and Pedrosa are both very fast and very clever riders.
"Tomorrow I will undergo an operation on my arm pump, but for now I will celebrate as if it was the last day on earth!" concluded Jorge.
"This is a dream come true for all of us; Jorge rode an unbelievable race," added team manager Daniele Romagnoli. "Watching him fight with the others it was impossible to believe that it is only his third race and now here he is, already a winner!
"We had planned a test tomorrow but this will depend on the decision about Jorge's operation. There are three weeks until the next race so there is plenty of time for him to recover if he chooses to go ahead with it. Now we're looking forward to another exciting weekend with Jorge in China!" smiled the Italian.
Update: Lorenzo underwent an operation to help cure his arm-pump on Monday afternoon.
crash.net