Pedrosa looking for home hat-trick
Added on Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 by Carole Nash Editor
Pedrosa looking for home hat-trick
Dani Pedrosa is looking to make it a hat-trick of wins on Spanish tarmac this weekend as the 2008 MotoGP championship draws to a close.
The Repsol Honda rider was in blistering form in the early stages of the season, scoring wins at both Jerez and Barcelona to the delight of the home fans before a crash in mid-season at the Sachsenring effectively ended his title hopes.
But with the championship settled, Pedrosa heads to the final round of the season at Valencia this weekend without any pressure and the 23-year-old has his sights on another home victory on Sunday.
“I am really looking forward to Valencia,” said Pedrosa. “There will be many Spanish fans there and the Spanish crowd want a Spanish winner! The Circuito Ricardo Tormo is quite short but it’s a great track for the fans because they can see the whole lap.
“The place is laid out a bit like a stadium, so the atmosphere is fantastic, especially since it’s the last race of the year. I especially enjoy this race, it’s always great to ride in front of so many Spanish fans, you can really feel their support.
Another Spaniard looking for success at Valencia is Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo who is looking to wrap up the rookie of the year award and upstage his long-time rival Pedrosa.
Lorenzo just needs to ensure that Andrea Dovizioso remains within touching distance as a bare minimum to ensure that crown and lay claim to being the most successful four-stroke rookie rider in MotoGP.
“Sunday was really disappointing but I am not hurt and now we are looking forward to Valencia,” said the 21-year-old. “It’s the third ‘home’ race for me and since at the last one, in Barcelona, I couldn’t race, I especially want to get a good result for all my fans.
“It will be a special race because it’s the 10th anniversary of the Valencia circuit. Of course it is a little sad that I am no longer fighting for third in the Championship, but I can still be Rookie of the Year and this is what I am aiming for. It is really important for me and for all my team.
