MotoGP spec tyre supplier Bridgestone have responded to Jorge Lorenzo claims he had a duff front tyre for the Phillip Island MotoGP round, saying that his laptimes tell a different story.

Lorenzo used the same extra-soft front that fellow Yamaha riders and podium men Valentino Rossi and Bradley Smith chose but their wear was markedly less, and that for the first 20 of 27 laps, the Spaniard was lapping at the same pace as The Doctor.

“Looking at the analysis of his lap times he was able to keep a fast consistent pace for the first 20 laps of the race, during this time he was consistently lapping in the 1'30 bracket much like Valentino in front of him,” said communications manager Carmine Moscaritolo.

“After this his pace slowed, but the fact he could manage such a quick pace for two-thirds of the race and was also able to set the third quickest lap of the race on lap eight indicates that his front tyre was working as it should have, and was in no way defective.

“There's no doubt his front tyre was worn heavily, more so than Valentino and Bradley who also finished on the podium using the same extra-soft compound front tyre, but it appears some other factor, either riding style, bike setting or a combination of both wore his front tyre quicker than the other front runners.

“The extra-soft compound front slick was the softest option available at Phillip Island and so offered the best grip and warm-up performance, but at a slight expense of durability compared to the other front slick options. However, looking at the results of the other riders that used this extra-soft front slick it's evident that managed correctly it could yield strong performance over an entire race distance.”