No wall for Lorenzo and Rossi

JORGE LORENZO has made it clear that there will be no repeat of the disparate scenes which characterised his previous stint alongside Valentino Rossi in the Yamaha garage. 

Famously, the team garage was divided by a wall during the 2010 season, such was the resentment between the teammates. At the time, Rossi expressed the view that giving the riders equal status in the team was 'unsustainable', when Lorenzo recorded two strong seasons after his arrival in 2008. 

The two riders are reunited at Yamaha for the 2013 season.

Rossi's former boss at Yamaha Masao Furusawa recently fanned the flames of potential hostilities by speculating that 'Rossi and Lorenzo will fight a lot: it will be a good spectacle, but it will also be a big problem for Yamaha.'

However, Lorenzo dismissed the comments at this year's Race of Champions, stating: 'Probably too much was made of the wall, for the importance it had.

'This is a very individual sport, [because] everyone is interested in his own job. It's not like playing football or basketball.

'Anyway it doesn't matter - no wall this time.'

The news that Valentino Rossi is returning to Yamaha for the 2013 season was met with raised eyebrows by some who remember the turbulent relationship he had with Lorenzo during their previous time as teammates. Some involved with the sport may even be hoping for a repeat of the notorious rivalry, not least Valentino Rossi himself...