MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo to Officially Join Ducati in 2017

During his eight-year stint at Yamaha, which brought him to MotoGP, Lorenzo managed to establish himself as one of the best riders there are earning three world titles in 2010, 2012 and 2015. The 28-year-old Spaniard has accumulated 41 wins, 99 podiums, 36 pole positions and 27 fastest laps in 138 starts. He also has his share of crashes and Did Not Finish (DNFs) to account for. That said, there is little doubt that Jorge Lorenzo is one of the living legends in MotoGP today.

The next season will see Lorenzo draped in red

So what does it mean for Ducati? Well, it's a known fact that the brand was struggling to keep up with its rivals and only someone like Casey Stoner had what was necessary to push the Italian machine to its limit. During the previous years, legends like Marco Melandri found it difficult to conquer the tracks, while Ducati's two-year stint with Valentino Rossi (2011-2012) did little good and eventually prompted the racer to come back to Movistar Yamaha.

Nevertheless, with Gigi Dall'Igna, Ducati's General Manager at the helm, the new MotoGP bike looks certainly competitive with podium finishes at Qatar and Austin this year. Rumour has it that Ducati is paying close to $20 million a year to Lorenzo and the Italian factory team won't be looking anything less than a world championship title to its credit.

Among a host of reasons that prompted Lorenzo to exit Yamaha was the factory team's known affinity towards co-rider Valentino Rossi. On previous occasions, Lorenzo did slip out that the racer felt like an outcast in his own team. With Lorenzo making an exit at the end of this season, it will be interesting to see who joins the empty space beside Rossi in the pits.

It is believed that team Suzuki rider Maverick Vinales could be the replacement at Yamaha, although an official announcement is yet to be made. Similarly, Ducati will have to let go of one of its riders in order to accommodate Jorge Lorenzo, but hasn't announced if it will be Andrea Dovizioso or Andrea Iannone.