After coming through winter tests with a clean bill of health, Dani Pedrosa is confident of his chances in the new MotoGP season.
From the first test in Valencia in November to the tests in Sepang, where have you made the most improvements with your bike?
"Basically, the bike hasn't changed much, so what we tried to do is to improve it in the most critical areas, such as the braking and electronics."
What did you think of the pre-season tests in Sepang?
"The best thing is that we have much more solid foundation this year, unlike what happened in the previous years when we had to develop and improve the bike during the championship. This season, we start with a very positive preparation that will allow us to go to the first race of the championship with a good level of competitiveness."
"If the track conditions are good, we will be able to take advantage of it.”
Is fine-tuning still needed at the next Qatar tests or will they just be used to prepare the first race of the Championship?
“There are always things to be done, but the main aim of the Qatar test will be to learn to make the most of the set-up we will use in the race. If the track conditions are good, we will be able to take advantage of it.”
To arrive in Qatar in your condition after a positive pre-season must be especially motivating…
“Qatar is a very different race because we run at night, with a different schedule where you have to pay more attention to details such as the tyres. But once we start, the race is worth 25 points as in any other circuit, so you have to try and fight for them”.
Are you starting the season more positive and confident than ever?
“I've had difficult pre-seasons in the past few years, due to the bike, injuries, etc. However, this winter we have been able to have a better prepared bike, so we've had less trouble. There is still one test left, but we hope everything will be fine and we will be able to have a good start of the year”.
Are you well recovered from your injury?
“I am fairly well. Naturally, my shoulder is not exactly as it was before but I hope I will feel fine in the first race. I did a lot of laps this winter, but I have not run a whole race distance yet.”
Repsol Honda is the only team with three riders, and it's clear the aim it to force rest to increase the pace. Can we expect it to be a very fast championship?
“We'll see as we go on. It is difficult to say what will happen. We only know they will be very close races and that everyone will do their best. It will be more or less the same as the previous years, but there will certainly be a hard battle for the top places. As we have seen in the pre-season, there will be a lot of competitiveness”.
After the last test in Malaysia, is your bike a cut above the rest?
“I think right now, the bike is reacting well but I don’t think it is so much above the rest. In the past, we have seen that our bike is good and fast but what's important in the championship is not what happens in one circuit, but in many. In some areas, our bike is better and in some other areas, other bikes are better. In the end, I think that overall balance is the important thing”.
Want more?
- Read more about Andrea Dovizioso here
- Prepare for the new MotoGP season at our Qatar event page here
© Repsol
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