THOUSANDS of people gathered at the Rocket Centre in Blackburn to meet and greet two-time MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo.

Jorge’s visit to the Rocket Centre, Lancashire’s largest motorcycle dealership, was part of Alpinestars’ ‘Race Experience’, which is designed to showcase the company’s cutting-edge race technology used in MotoGP and World Superbikes.

Fans met with their idol as he took time to meet and greet his fans, signing posters and posing for photos.

Spaniard Jorge told the crowd on Saturday that he was looking forward to next weekend’s MotoGP of San Marino, a track on which he has won every premier Grand Prix since 2011.

He said: “In racing you never know what is going to happen. In the last few races at Misano we have won, but we have to keep our feet on the ground, work hard all weekend, work hard on the bike and give it the maximum during the race.”

A spokesman from the Rocket Centre said: “Due to the large volume of signing requests, the Movistar Yamaha man delayed his departure in order not to disappoint the amassed fans.

“It was a hugely successful event.”