MotoGP news

Pedrosa brings high expectations to Jerez

21-year-old home-hero Dani Pedrosa will be one of the favourites this weekend, having shown impressive pace on the new 800cc Honda RC212V at the two three-day tests at Jerez over the winter break.

The 2006 MotoGP Rookie of the Year finished quickest here at the test in November and was just 0.133s behind Valentino Rossi in the 40-minute 'qualifying' shootout at the official IRTA test last month.

Jerez was also the scene of Pedrosa's spectacular debut MotoGP ride last year where he scored a stunning second place after challenging Loris Capirossi for the win. With the crowd behind him and a podium to his name from the opening race of the season in Qatar two weeks ago, Pedrosa should be a real threat this weekend.

"The result in Qatar was quite good and I was happy to get on the podium at the first race of the year - now we must really push and try to improve so we can fight at the front until the end," said Pedrosa. "The tyre choice for Jerez is going to be really important in order to achieve consistency in the race and we must work hard to get quicker because some of the other teams are going really fast now."

"The tests over the winter went well at Jerez and I was able to go quickly and finish near the top, but that was also the case at Qatar so we need to stay focussed on improving. The Jerez circuit is a good challenge because it combines fast corners and some really hard braking zones into slow bends. This means the bike needs to be well balanced and the tyres take a lot of punishment - tyre choice will be critical to outcome of the race. The atmosphere here is always special and you can feel the support from the fans as you ride on track. I hope it's a great weekend for us."

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• 22 Aug.
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• 20 Aug.
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• 19 Aug.
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• 18 Aug.
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• 17 Aug.
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• 16 Aug.
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  • Pedrosa struggles in qualifying
  • Rossi hoping for dry race

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