Repsol YPF

In spite of all the trouble this season has caused the Repsol rider, Pedrosa has once again added two new victories to his list of MotoGP achievements. Now that the 2010 pre-season testing in Valencia has ended, Dani Pedrosa evaluates his year.

Now that you have finally recovered and are in top shape, would you prefer the World Championship to go on a little longer?
“No. Now the World Championship has finished and that's that. I have to go on working with next year in mind. What's done; is done.”

The highlight of the season?
“The win in Valencia a few days ago was a great moment, but the Laguna Seca win was also incredible, on that circuit and after everything that had happened since pre-season testing. What's more, we arrived at the United States Grand Prix at the lowest point of the season, and all of a sudden, it was like rising to the highest. That was an amazing day.”

And crossing the finish line last Sunday, what were you thinking?
“It was an incredible sensation because we had all been thinking, dreaming and hoping for this win all week and finally winning in front of all the fans was amazing. What I most enjoyed was the lap of honour, celebrating the win with all the fans there. I have great memories of the race and that lap of honour.”

What has Dani Pedrosa learned this season?
“I've learned that you have to be there, you have to fight and go on fighting, and that above all, you can never give up, because then you're not going to get anywhere. You have to go on fighting; even if luck isn't on your side, you have to keep going.”

How have you adapted to the options proposed by Bridgestone, and what do you think of the switch to the single tyre?
“Well, the adaptation process wasn't easy for us because the Honda RC212V is a bike that was developed on the Michelins and their specific performance, so we had to work throughout the season to try to make the bike competitive on the Bridgestones. And that wasn't easy, considering that you don't have time to test in a Grand Prix weekend and that I had such an accident-filled pre-season with hardly any time to test. As far as the single tyre supplier rule is concerned, I think it was a good decision, as this year, nobody talked about the tyres and the competition had one variant less that used influence, positively or negatively, some or others in every Grand Prix.”

After three testing days, do you think you are going in the right direction? What needs improving?
“It's still too early to evaluate what we should or must improve. Valencia is an unusual and special circuit where whether the chassis goes well or badly can be camouflaged by the type of curves and angles it has. But in the next test, in Malaysia, we will quickly pinpoint whether we have a competitive base or not and if we have improved the stability of the bike when braking and entering curves with the new chassis. In Sepang, there are very fast curves, where you immediately see if the chassis is working well or badly.”

With less testing and the World Championship not getting back into action until 11 April, how will you spend so much time without racing?
“Taking a break, resting and disconnecting a little are always good; it helps you to physically and mentally recover to tackle the new season as good as new. So the fact that we all have the same break at the end of one year and the beginning of the next is good. But what's true is that it'll be a long time without training and what's worse, there are only 6 testing days left in the pre-season between now and going to Qatar for the first race, and that's not very much time considering all the work and tests we have ahead of us.”

What will Dani Pedrosa do over the next three months until the 2010 pre-season testing starts in Malaysia in February?
“Above all, rest a little and spend time with my family and friends. And disconnect, because it has been a very long and tough year for me. I'll also take advantage of the break to train physically and therefore, start the first test in 2010 in top shape.”

11/19/2009

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