Pedrosa gets new chassis in Jerez
Added on Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 by Carole Nash Editor
Pedrosa gets new chassis in Jerez
Dani Pedrosa will run with a brand new chassis in Jerez this weekend after the Repsol Honda rider openly criticised the RC212V’s performance in Qatar.
After a blistering start off the lights, Pedrosa was left languishing in seventh at the end of the season opener in Doha, with the Spaniard later blaming the Honda chassis for his low speed through the corners.
Speaking after the race, Pedrosa claimed: “The bike is jumping around, into the corner, in the middle of the corner, and on the exit.”
The criticism, coupled with poor performances in pre-season, prompted Honda to rush out a stiffer chassis that would have made its debut in Motegi had it not been for the postponement of the Japanese Grand Prix.
Instead, the modification will be tried for the first time in Jerez, Pedrosa’s home Grand Prix, but the 24 year-old was reluctant to talk up his chances this weekend.
“Jerez is always a very special race for the Spanish riders and I’m really looking forward to this weekend,” he said. “We didn’t have the best start to the season in Qatar, and in Japan we couldn’t race due to the problems caused by the volcano, but I hope in Jerez, with the atmosphere, which is always fantastic, and the characteristics of the circuit, the situation can be different.
“I’m determined that we make improvements from the first practice onwards – unlike Qatar where we struggled a lot throughout the weekend – and that we’ll be able to go fast right from the start. I would really like to feel more comfortable with the bike and get a good result here.
“Our rivals are very strong and I’m sure they want to make the most of their advantage, so we have to work very hard to get to their level and be able to fight with them from the beginning to the end of the race. In Jerez we will try some changes to the chassis so that the bike is not so nervous and I’m hopeful that they can work”.
