MotoGP Special 2012: Dani Pedrosa

The Spanish rider continues for another year with the Honda Repsol. And he does so for the seventh consecutive year. Dani arrived in 2006 with three World Champion titles under his belt (2003 in the 125cc and 2004 and 2005 in the 250cc), and that same year he already achieved his first victory at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Since then, he has won 15 races in the premier class, and has 19 pole positions and 26 fastest laps. He returns with his talisman number, 26, pursuing the MotoGP title that has eluded him in recent years. He arrives for the second consecutive year without recovering from a pre-season injury, so his goal is number 1. And sharing the garage with the current World Champion, Casey Stoner, should be an added motivation for the Catalan, who is undoubtedly eager to have a season in which injuries leave him alone, because he has more than enough talent.

The 2011 season looked promising for him. He arrived with a normal pre-season, without injuries or operations… And in Qatar he got onto the podium, third behind Stoner and Lorenzo. The Honda had been much stronger in the winter tests and everyone was betting on them. At Jerez, in the rain, things didn’t go well, but he kept recovering and taking advantage of the crashes of those ahead of him, such as Rossi, Stoner, Simoncelli…, finishing 2nd behind Jorge Lorenzo. There we discovered that he still had problems with his left shoulder, since a plate he had in his collarbone was pressing on an artery and leaving him without strength. With almost a month until Portugal, he underwent surgery.

And it seems that was the solution, since Dani won at Estoril, after a fine duel with Lorenzo until almost the end of the race. But at Le Mans everything went wrong. Dani was riding second, far from Stoner, when Marco Simoncelli was closing in with a much higher pace. In a doubtful manoeuvre, he overtook Dani on the outside, closing abruptly on the Spaniard, who crashed. Bad luck meant he broke his right collarbone.

The crash caused him to miss three races (Catalunya, Silverstone and Assen) while doubts emerged about whether his return was being prolonged by a supposed new crash in training. 47 days later, Dani arrived at Mugello, still not fully recovered. He finished 8th without fighting for positions, as he was not completely recovered. But 15 days later, he won in Germany, a circuit he likes a lot but where he had to fight until the last lap.

At Laguna Seca, he returned to the podium, finishing 3rd behind Stoner and Lorenzo. At Brno, he was the strongest rider all weekend, taking pole, but two laps after the start, he crashed when he lost the front wheel. At Indianapolis he could only finish 2nd behind Stoner, repeating the result at Misano and Aragón. At Japan, after the uncertainty following the tsunami and the radioactive leak at Fukushima, he claimed his third victory of the season, also achieving the 400th victory for Spanish motorcycling in the World Championship.

Everything looked good for Australia, but the rain changed all the plans, and Dani finished in fourth position. And then we arrived at Malaysia. And nothing matters. Neither Dani’s pole, nor his good start, nothing. Ciao Marco. Valencia was a tribute to the noise, a remembrance of number 58. Dani didn’t have a good race and finished 5th, which cost him third place in the overall standings to his teammate Andrea Dovizioso.

For Dani this year only victory will do. To achieve it, he has prepared physically and mentally. There are no more excuses; he has spent six years in MotoGP, in one of the best teams in the championship. This year he has a great bike, and he has prepared well. I think his only rival will be the same as ever: his ambition and his desire to win the title he is missing…

Every year is different, there are always different obstacles. I have had good and bad races in the past, but much depends on how you prepared in the winter. I have worked well this year, I have had a good pre-season with the bike and also physically; I hope luck is on my side this time and I can have a good season. Qatar is an important round, it’s the first race, but you have to minimise risks: winning this race won’t win you the championship, but making a mistake can complicate the year. I am ready, we will see how things go and where everyone stands.

Photos | Plusmoto and motogp.com