The race Lorenzo has been waiting for

This weekend's Spanish MotoGP at Jerez is the event Jorge Lorenzo has been waiting for.

The five-time world champion's chances have been blighted by injuries and incidents at the start of his Repsol Honda career, but Lorenzo should be close to full fitness for this weekend's return to one of his most successful venues.

Lorenzo has finished on the Jerez podium eight times in the premier-class - including victories in 2010, 2011 and 2015 - and was a close (+0.160s) fourth fastest for Honda in last November's test.

Jerez was also the scene of Lorenzo's first Ducati podium in 2017 and a repeat with Honda would be especially well-timed after a best finish of twelfth from the opening flyway rounds.

"I have been focusing on this race since the start of the season," Lorenzo said. "With limited testing, we knew the opening rounds would be tricky.

"Jerez is one of my favourite circuits. The surface normally has a lot of grip and this suits my style very well unlike a couple of tracks we have already visited.

"I am sure we can achieve a good result with the Repsol Honda Team after learning a lot in the opening rounds.”

Lorenzo was fighting for another Jerez podium last season, until a collision with Dani Pedrosa took both riders - plus then Ducati team-mate Andrea Dovizioso - out of the race.

Last year's #SpanishGP provided one of the biggest talking points of the 2018 season!

Here's the incident which took @lorenzo99, @AndreaDovizioso and @26_DaniPedrosa out of the race! #MotoGP pic.twitter.com/c2dW0UKQhM

— MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) April 29, 2019