Pedrosa believes that Honda can challenge
Added on Monday, March 15th, 2010 by Carole Nash Editor
Pedrosa believes that Honda can challenge
Dani Pedrosa believes that he and Honda can bounce back and challenge for honours in MotoGP in 2010 after a difficult two years for both him and the Japanese manufacturer.
The Spaniard, who has finished in the top three in the championship for the past three seasons, has still struggled to compete with the likes of Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner and more recently Jorge Lorenzo. A mixture of injuries, inconsistency and issues with the Repsol Honda have restricted Pedrosa to just eight race wins in the past three seasons – compared with 20 wins for Stoner and 19 victories for Rossi in the same period.
Pre-season testing this season suggested that Honda still have some work to do if they are to keep pace with Ducati and Yamaha but that didn’t stop Pedrosa talking up the team’s chances at the official team launch in Madrid last week.
“I’m starting this season in a really positive mood. I’m feeling really motivated and our targets are clear – to improve in every area and consistently fight for race wins,” he said.
“In general, it has been a very good winter for me and much better than the last one. I have been able to do a lot of physical training and work on my fitness levels, and I was able to rest after the end of the last season.
“Even though I had a small operation to remove a screw from my wrist, the recovery period after this was very short and I can begin the year in very good shape. The training will help me a lot throughout the season to maintain my maximum performance.
“At the last test in Sepang, we couldn’t make all the progress we would have like to have done, but we still have two more days of testing ahead of us and we will take the maximum profit from them to prepare for the first race.
“In Qatar, we will be working to improve a few more areas with the machine and I’m sure that when we solve these issues we will take a big step forward – and I hope to do it in Qatar. I’m looking forward to this season.”
