Lorenzo: Valentino Rossi copied my training MotoGP Has hit out at his fellow rider

Valentino Rossi has long been accused of copying some of the bike configuration techniques used by Jorge Lorenzo whilst the Italian was at Yamaha, but the Spaniard has revealed that it goes beyond that.

Lorenzo has always spoken clearly and at times his honesty has cost him dearly.

"Rossi had just come back to Yamaha, he wanted to improve his results," he explained in his book 'What I learnt before 30'.

"I realised that my fitness coach, Antonio Casciani, met with Rossi and his coach in Tavullia, he had to explain the way I trained.

"I decided to sack Antonio.

"Valentino had begun training with identical bikes that I was using in Grenoble, doing similar exercises too.

"Coincidence or not, he began to be more competitive."

That also sparked conflict with Massimo Meregalli, president of Yamaha Motor Racing.

"I decided to talk to Maio, he could accept that he copied our 'settings' before each race, but that was too much," he added.

"I preferred to stop going to technical meetings after each training session, I suspected that Meregalli told Rossi's team everything and it didn't sit well with me.

"You can't give an advantage and let them copy you.

"Everything that gives you an advantage over your rivals, you have to keep secret."

The Spaniard insists that his 2015 was based on success and hard work in 2014.

"Victory had begun with the embarrassing exit in Austin," he explained, also admitting that it was where his row with Yamaha MotoGP group leader Kouichi Tsuji started.

"He began to have a go at me about my mistake, I shouted back 'and what do you want me to do, that I get down on my knees, I have already asked for forgiveness'."

The experienced rider also discussed the recent clashes between Rossi and his compatriot Marc Marquez.

"In Spain people look well upon sportsmen who show humility, who form part of a united front and who never get involved in rows," he said.

"That's the 'ideal' sportsman, Marquez put a lot into protecting his image as an 'ideal' sportsman, with Rossi, they were 'friends'.

"Everything changed when Valentino began to smell his 10th world title, to reach the point of clashes on the track was inevitable."

The rider also spoke about the incident that cost him half a finger.

"In 2011, in the Australia GP, the idiot that I am I proposed a fight with Casey Stoner," he remembered.

"In the warm-up I saw him go out of the boxes, it was the perfect opportunity to study what parts of the track he made the difference in and I took advantage to do a quick lap and put the pressure on him.

"I let him go 200 metres ahead, I was very excited, going way over my limit, being very aggressive.

"Casey went harder and harder, I felt a bump and I went off, injured my left ring finger and I lost part of it."

Lorenzo is currently 22nd in the rankings.

(Jorge Lorenzo, at the presentation of his book ).