After a good result in the last MotoGP in Jerez and subsequent successful shoulder surgery, Dani Pedrosa is working hard to be ready to challenge for more points on the Honda in Portugal on May 1.
The Repsol rider, who needed surgery to fix secondary problems arising from last year’s troublesome collarbone injury, is beginning training this week to recover in time for the next MotoGP round at Estoril.
Pedrosa’s problems began during practice for the 2010 Japanese Grand Prix back in October (rescheduled due to the travel chaos caused by the Icelandic volcano eruption), where a fall fractured his collarbone and effectively ended his bid for the MotoGP title that eventually went to his countryman Jorge Lorenzo.
Though Pedrosa resumed his season after a titanium plate was screwed to the bone, and then he tested over the winter, the Spaniard had complained of numbness and lack of strength in the area, which was diagnosed to be caused by compression of the left subclavian artery in the shoulder by the plate.
'It's been tough with the shoulder' – Dani Pedrosa
The unforeseen postponement of the second successive Japanese MotoGP, which would have been held on April 24 but is now rescheduled for October 2, has allowed the Spaniard, who last week marked his 10th anniversary as a rider in the top echelons of motorcycle road racing, to take an extra week’s break to recover from the operation he underwent last week to remove the plate and decompress the artery.
The team from the Teknon Medical Centre in Barcelona who performed the surgery have confirmed that Pedrosa is recovering well and that the stitches will likely be removed next week. In the meantime, passive stretches with a physiotherapist are the order of the day.
"It's been tough with the shoulder,” Dani commented before the recent Jerez GP. “There's nothing else I can do, I'll just try to finish the race in the best way possible and, hopefully, bring home a good result.” It’s little wonder that he was so thrilled with his eventual second place in front a home crowd. After an eighth place in Portugal last year on his return from the injury, Pedrosa will be keen to get fully prepared to challenge for the victory this time around on May 1.
Want more?
- Dani Pedrosa's best moments from 10 years in MotoGP
- MotoGP Portugal event page
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