Lorenzo: Training with dad made me faster

Jorge Lorenzo believes one of the reasons why he dominated the Portuguese Grand Prix weekend was that he spent the four-week break before Estoril training at home with his father in Mallorca.

Lorenzo and his father Chicho certainly haven't always seen eye-to-eye, highlighted by a bitter 'split' during the 2006 season, but after a change of management last year the five-time MotoGP race winner is once again working closely with his dad.

The Fiat Yamaha rider led free practice and qualifying at Estoril, then all but the first few corners of the 28 lap race on his way to a six-second victory over Casey Stoner and a 23.4sec margin over team-mate and title leader Valentino Rossi.

"We have to enjoy this victory because we have worked so hard for it and especially before this race in Mallorca, training with my father, and this maybe gave me some extra speed," he said.

"My father taught me how to ride a bike when I was two years old and from then until I was 14 years old we always trained together, to always improve any part of my riding.

"But then I moved to Barcelona, we had some 'discussions' and we didn't train so much. Now we have returned to training together and I think it is important," added the 22-year-old

In his biography Jorge Lorenzo: My Story So Far, Lorenzo sums up his relationship with his father as follows:

'My father is very obsessive and has screwed things up in a big way on several occasions, but to me my father is still like a God. He wasn't the best father in terms of showing me affection and bringing me up [but] as far as teaching me to ride a motorcycle, I don't think many fathers could have done a better job.'

Lorenzo is now 18 points behind Rossi with three rounds to go.