Despite a late-season surge that has delivered two consecutive race wins, Jorge Lorenzo says he has no regrets about his lackluster start to the season.
He refuses to contemplate what might have been, after consecutive race wins in Aragon and Japan confirms he is a rider still capable of threatening Marc Marquez's MotoGP supremacy.
Lorenzo delivered a masterclass performance to win an intense Motegi race with his trademark, go-it-alone front-running pace.
His main rivals Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi both admitted that the unrelenting pace set by Lorenzo was the fastest of the season.
It was Lorenzo's seventh straight podium since the German GP in July and he is planning to continue his late-season surge in Sunday's Australian GP at Phillip Island, where he won in 2013.
It is this level of performance that was expected of the double world champion at the beginning of the year.
But he arrived at the first race overweight, unfit and out of sorts with a new rear tire spec that upset the balance of the Yamaha M1 and his high-corner speed style.
Two crucial mistakes - a crash in Qatar and an embarrassing jump-start in Austin - ended his title hopes early as Marquez and Honda streaked to 10 consecutive race wins.
“I never regret anything in my life because I cannot change my past, you can only learn from it and do things differently," Lorenzo said.
"I wasn't fit physically because I didn't plan the preseason well, and also the bike was not as competitive as now and the tires were different.
"The beginning of the season was very complicated for me, it was a complete disaster.
"But little by little I started to feel better physically, mentally and I was riding better. I'm really happy with my level and the level of the bike now.
"I hope the Yamaha engineers keep working as good as they have done in the last races so that we can have our chance for the 2015 season.
“The Motegi race was the most intense pace this season with all four riders because nobody wanted to finish behind the other."
Lorenzo is fourth in the points on 227 but just three behind Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa, who are equal on 230. This trio will now fight it out for the runner-up spot in the championship, with the title being secured for the second-straight time by Marc Marquez.
Lorenzo is the form rider and, with two wins and four second places in the six races since the Indy GP in August, he may yet upset Honda's plans for a 1-2 Marquez-Pedrosa finish in the championship standings.
