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Cheste, a great finish to 2009
“Winning in front of a home crowd is incredible”. Dani Pedrosa could not hide his joy after winning the Comunitat Valenciana GP, the final race of the season. A magnificent victory to end the year with, one in which the Repsol rider had to overcome many setbacks but a rider who in the end was able to finish third overall.
The Repsol rider starred in some of the most spectacular moves seen this season. Etched in the memory are his blistering starts, like the one in Japan when he overtook eight other riders to go from 11th to 3rd, or in Italy when he went into the lead from 8th position.
The 2009 season closes with 11 podium finishes and two victories: Laguna Seca and Cheste. Two triumphs that reward his effort and hard work. When injuries did not affect him Pedrosa was always among the fastest group on the track. But he has had a lot of bad luck this year and he has been swimming against the tide all season, but he came out of this battle with his head held high.
A year of setbacks
The Repsol Honda Team rider started the championship in Qatar at a disadvantage. An injury meant that his pre-season was shorter than his rivals. In Losail he was 11th, but seven days later in Japan, and without being totally fit Dani was on the podium.
That was no accident. The Spaniard then strung three consecutive podium finishes together: Japan, Jerez and France - two third places and one second position (Jerez). In spite of arriving late he got into the title fight. In the fifth race of the season, Italy, he was in the lead when he fell. A fortnight later he was 6th at Montmeló, badly affected by pain though. Lady Luck did not smile on him two weeks later either as the Repsol rider fell in The Netherlands when he was 4th.
That was the worst moment of the season for Dani, but he turned things around and made things better. After a June to forget Pedrosa made history once again. Hard work and will-power made him into the first ever Spanish winner at Laguna Seca. A spectacular race that put hm back among the leaders in the overall.
The fruit of hard work
In the second half of the season the Repsol rider got seven podium finishes and has shown his rivals that he is back in tip-top form. At Indianapolis he made a spectacular fightback after falling when he was in the lead and managed to finish 10th. In Malaysia he got his first podium finish ever in the wet, 2nd.
All the Repsol rider`s, and his team`s, hard work, superhuman affort and desire were all rewarded at Cheste. A spectacular victory to round off a season that has seen him overcome all the obstacles he came across to finish 3rd in the World Championship. A success that will spur him on during the 2010 season.
11/10/2009
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