JORGE LORENZO became the first real victim of the new restricted-engines rule when the championship leader's Yamaha M1 blew in spectacular fashion during Saturday Qualifying for the German GP.
Lorenzo's bike lunched itself halfway along the Sachsenring's start-finish straight - spewing oil and water across the track in the process.
The ensuing mix of coolant and lubricant soon claimed its first victims; Monster Tech 3 man Ben Spies and LCR Honda rider Randy de Puniet both crashed heavily as a result of the spill.
Lorenzo said he got off the track as soon as he realised what had happened:
“The engine stopped, and in the first moment, I didn’t know what had happened,” he said. “Only when I arrived at the corner did I feel I had oil on my boots.
“I don’t think Randy will be very happy," the Spaniard continued. "Maybe we need some modification to stop oil getting on the track.”
Fortunately for Lorenzo, the engine that blew was nearing the end of its life, with some 1,500 km. The target is around 1,800 km for a practice engine, according to Rossi’s crew chief Jerry Burgess.
