Lorenzo prepares to go solo at Silverstone

Jorge Lorenzo has set his sights on the podium at Silverstone as he prepares for his first MotoGP weekend with the full might of the FIAT Yamaha team trained solely on him.

With Valentino Rossi beginning his recovery process from Italy, Lorenzo will be the championship-winning team's single representative for the British Grand Prix, held at Silverstone for the first time in 24 years.

Firmly established as the 'man to beat' for this year's title now, Lorenzo is looking forward to his Silverstone debut as he bids to extend his current 25 point advantage over Dani Pedrosa.

"After Mugello we arrive at Silverstone, a track that none of us know! I will do some laps with the scooter on Thursday; I don't always do this but I think it's very important because so far I've only seen the track on the PlayStation and it's changed quite a lot.

"My aim is once again to get on the podium, but I was disappointed after Mugello and I want to do a better race in England. I am happy with my lead in the standings but I want to keep improving and this weekend we will try to find some more traction for my M1."

In the meantime, the Spaniard will be kept busy by a series of off-track appearances, which included a trial of the Isle of Man TT course over the weekend and a chance to try his hand at the old British pastime of cricket...

"Last week I went to the Isle of Man to see the TT, which was an incredible experience and I even rode a lap, but quite slowly!

"On Wednesday I will go to Lord's Cricket Ground for a press conference and it will be the first time I've seen cricket, because we don't play in Spain. I think it will be interesting to discover this sport, and maybe even play!

"Finally I want to send again my best wishes to Valentino, I am glad he is recovering well and we will miss him in these busy weeks."