Pedrosa claims Honda can keep pace with Yamaha
Added on Friday, August 28th, 2009 by Carole Nash Editor
Pedrosa claims Honda can keep pace with Yamaha
Dani Pedrosa has vowed that Honda will be able to keep pace with Yamaha this weekend in Indianapolis after a lonely race in Brno two weeks ago.
Despite a decent start in the Czech Republic a fortnight ago, Pedrosa was unable to keep pace with Yamaha pair Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, leaving him to ride virtually unaccompanied as he finished second in Brno, 11.766 seconds behind winner Rossi and 8.99 seconds ahead of third place Toni Elias.
After the race, Pedrosa expressed his disappointment that Honda had managed to fall so far behind the Yamaha and with Honda 71 points behind their Japanese rivals in the rider’s standings with just two wins all season, the Spaniard is keen for the balance of power to be redressed.
That work starts at Indianapolis this weekend and Pedrosa believes that the RC212V can keep pace with the YZF-M1.
“I don’t think the gap they had at the last race in Brno was a true reflection of our pace compared to theirs though, so I expect we’re going to be closer to them at Indy,” he claimed.
“The circuit itself is largely made up of second and third gear corners so it’s not one of my favourites to ride, but the venue itself it very impressive.
“I’m really looking forward to riding in America again because the last time we were in the States – at Laguna Seca in July – we won the race,” he claimed. “A result like that would be great for me and the team and that’s what we’ll be aiming for, though we know we’ll have to work hard for it because our rivals have proved they are very strong in the last few races.”
