Dani
Pedrosa

Spain

MotoGP

One of the great MotoGP™ riders of the modern era, Dani Pedrosa retired in 2018 after an illustrious career that included 31 wins and 112 podiums.

Date of birth	29 September 1985
Place of birth	Sabadell
Age	40
Nationality	Spain
Career start	2001
Disciplines	MotoGP

Dani Pedrosa got into motorbikes in much the same way most people begin on bicycles. He was just four when he got his first 50cc motorbike, which came with stabilisers. When he was nine, Dani entered the Spanish Minibike Championship and, before long, he was competing in the MotoGP™ World Championship.

Dani's talent came to the fore in GP, and he won the 125cc title in his third season. A move up to the 250cc class was immediately successful, and he won back-to-back titles before debuting in the MotoGP™ class in 2006.

Rookie season

His rookie season with Repsol Honda was impressive, to say the least, as Dani finished second in his very first race. His status as a title contender was quickly established, and the following season Dani finished runner-up in the Championship.

After eight seasons, though, a premier class crown still eluded the Spaniard, as a mixture of bad luck and injuries have played a large part in his fortunes. 2012 was Dani's best season to date – he won seven races, the most of any rider, including eventual World Champion Jorge Lorenzo.

In 2013, Dani managed to win three races and podium 13 times before eventually finishing third overall in the championship, while 2014 saw him drop to fourth in the final standings.

Hopes for the future

With a new crew chief in 2015, a reshuffle in his Repsol Honda garage gave Dani fresh hope for the new season, but surgery on his arm early in the campaign put paid to any chance of a title charge. When fully fit for the latter half of the season, Dani's form was top, as proven by two wins in the final four races.

The high point of Dani's 2016 season was a win at the San Marino GP at Misano. Still, a broken collarbone and fibula suffered in practice at the Japanese round saw him miss the final three flyaway races of the year and ended his hopes of a top-three finish in the championship.

After returning to action for the final round of 2016 in Valencia, Dani began the 2017 campaign strongly with a win in his home GP at the Gran Premio Red Bull de España and ended it on the top step podium, too, in Valencia. Dani achieved nine podiums in 2017 and ended the season in fourth place overall in the world championship standings.

Retirement from racing

After a difficult start to the year, Dani announced his retirement from MotoGP™ at the end of 2018, signing off an illustrious racing career in Valencia that rewarded him with three world titles in the 125cc and 250cc classes, as well as 31 wins and 112 podiums in the premier class.

There was no time for Pedrosa to sit back and put his feet up after his retirement from racing however. He went right back to work as the development test rider for Red Bull KTM Factory racing – a role he continues to hold going into the 2026 season as he works to help the Austrian manufacturer strengthen its position in the MotoGP™ field.

DaniPedrosa

Rookie season

Hopes for the future

Retirement from racing

Dani
Pedrosa