Jorge Lorenzo wants Simoncelli banned

As 2010 MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo managed to finish sixth in the Dutch TT on weekend, while his Yamaha team mate Ben Spies took home the glassware, the Spaniard has said he would take away Simoncelli's licence if he was in charge.

Marco Simoncelli attempted an aggressive overtaking manoeuvre on the first lap of the race, in which he collected Jorge Lorenzo, ruling them both out of a podium finish.

Simoncelli has proven that he has the speed to finish on the podium in 2011, with his factory-support Honda bike proving remarkably quick this year, but is still struggling to come to grips with race strategy.

Thus far Simoncelli he has crashed in four out of the last seven races, and could influence the championship if his erratic form continues.

"You saw what happened on the first lap on the TV," said Lorenzo after the race. "Of course he [Simoncelli] doesn’t want to take me out, that’s not his intention, but I think the problem is that he’s not very conscious about the risks there are in the category, with this bike and these tyres.

"I thought he learned from the past, from the controversy he created, like what happened with Dani (Pedrosa), but it’s clear that he doesn’t learn at the moment," said Lorenzo, highlighting the Simoncelli's collision with Pedrosa at the French GP.

"I hope he learns in the future but at this moment I don’t have any respect for him because he is causing a risk to all the riders. If I were in the safety commission I’d take away his licence for several races, but I’m just a rider and I don’t have a lot of power to make those decisions," stated Lorenzo.

As the pressure mounts on Simoncelli to rein in his aggressive overtaking techniques, his critics will continue to gather new recruits in the paddock.

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