21-year old Jorge Lorenzo joined the Fiat Yamaha Team in 2008 as double 250cc World Champion, having won the title for the past two years with Aprilia. He exploded onto the MotoGP scene with an outstanding pole position at the opening round in Qatar, before finishing second in the race. A second pole position and another podium in round two proved it was no fluke; before he went on to take an incredible third pole and a deserved maiden win at the third race in Estoril.

The youngest rider in the field returned to earth with a bump in China, when a crash in practice saw him fracture both ankles, although he battled on to finish fourth in the race before coming back with another podium next time around in France. The middle part of the season was difficult for the young Spaniard as several more crashes left him with further injuries and a battered confidence, but he never gave up and made it back to claim two more podiums, in Misano and Indianapolis. He finished the season in fourth position as rookie of the year, the most successful debutante since the start of the four-stroke era.

Lorenzo was born on the Balearic island of Mallorca, Spain in May 1987. He began riding motorbikes at home at the tender age of three and within months of taking to two wheels was already competing in his first minicross races. In 1995, aged eight, he won the Balearic title and followed that up the following year by taking the Island’s minicross, trial, minimoto and junior motocross titles.

Lorenzo graduated to road racing and national competition in 1997 and it didn’t take him long to adjust, winning the Aprilia 50cc Cup in 1998. Despite officially being too young, a special dispensation in 2000 allowed him to compete in the Spanish 125cc series at the age of 13 and he made history the following year when competing in Europe and becoming the youngest ever winner of a European 125cc race.

The precocious teenager, once again showing that age was no limit to a quick rise up the ranks of motorbike racing, made his first foray into the world stage with Derbi at the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez in 2002, round three of the season. He did not reach the legal age of 15 until Saturday and missed the first day of practice but was unfazed by this and impressed the paddock by qualifying for the race, cementing his position in the World Championship over the course of the season as he got to grips with the circuits.

The young Mallorcan literally came of age the following season, winning his first 125cc Grand Prix in Rio de Janeiro and then going on to win three more races the following season, finishing 4th in 2004 and taking his podium tally to 9 before making the step up the quarter-litre class and switching to Honda. 6 podium finishes and 4 pole positions in his rookie 250cc season sealed 5th in the championship and, with a move to the Aprilia factory team, 2006 was widely expected to be his defining year.

Lorenzo indeed surpassed all expectations in 2006, dominating the class with 8 wins and a record-equalling 10 poles, clinching his first world title convincingly. 2007 saw more of the same and an incredible 9 pole positions saw him win from every single one of them, claiming his second world title at the penultimate round in Sepang. He also became the most successful 250cc Spanish rider of all time in the process.

After his thrilling rookie season, Lorenzo will once again partner Valentino Rossi in the Yamaha Factory Team in 2009, when he will be hoping to mount a significant title challenge. A colourful character, Lorenzo has a fondness for exuberant post-race celebrations, which make him a popular figure with the fans. His nickname ‘X Fuera’, is an allusion to his flamboyant outside overtaking style.

Factbox: JORGE LORENZO