MOTOGP: Lorenzo not intimidated by Rossi fans

Jorge Lorenzo says he has learned not to be intimidated by Yamaha MotoGP teammate Valentino Rossi's huge global popularity.

While motorcycle racing legend Rossi receives adulation the world over, Lorenzo has sometimes received boos from some sections of fans when on grand prix podiums, as Marc Marquez did amid his spat with Rossi in the final rounds of 2015.

Asked if the volume of support for Rossi made it feel like he was fighting "against the world," Lorenzo replied: "Every person in the world is fighting against the world. Valentino, with his career and his personality and all that he won, has won more quantity of fans than us. And these fans make a lot of noise because there are a lot of them and they want to support their rider in a different way.

"It's nothing to be worried about. I stay good with my people. Your hear people making noise, but it doesn't change my life, my happiness or my work."

He said he has never felt any favoritism toward Rossi from Yamaha, despite the Italian being such a pivotal part of its MotoGP success story, and wants to make sure he leaves his mark on the team's history, too.

"I feel protected and supported by Yamaha always, from when I arrived with them in 2008," said Lorenzo. "I always had a good bike and the same material, even when Valentino was the main rider in Yamaha in the first years.

"Every marriage has its moments of disagreement, but my goal and my dream is to retire at Yamaha without changing team. Now I'm reaching my objective to be a Yamaha legend with this third world title.

"I am a five-time world champion in general, three times in MotoGP, equaling legends like Wayne Rainey, my friend Kenny Roberts Sr., and in the motorsport world Ayrton Senna. It's amazing to feel that and we have to enjoy it at the maximum because there moments are very difficult to reach."

Originally on Autosport.com