MotoGP news

Dismal end to disappointing weekend for Pedrosa

Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa had a demoralising ride to 15th in this afternoon's Czech Grand Prix, the Spaniard badly troubled by tyre problems.

Pedrosa, returning from the hand and wrist injuries he sustained during last month's German GP, struggled throughout the weekend with lack of grip, his Michelin tyres not up to the expected level of performance in practice or today's race. Yesterday he qualified 12th in a rain-lashed qualifying session. Despite the problems Pedrosa is still third in the World Championship points standings, with six of eighteen rounds remaining. 

"This weekend has been a complete disaster," said Pedrosa. "Today's race was the probably worst of my career. In fact I couldn't even race today, all I could do was ride. I couldn't control the bike, I didn't feel safe. I was riding so slow, I felt impotent and ashamed. I considered stopping but I stayed out there to get some points. We really need a drastic improvement from the tyres. I had no grip at the front and no grip at the rear, from the first lap to the last. It was therefore impossible for me to push any harder, even though I was going very slow, three or four seconds slower than the leader. I almost crashed twice, so I just tried to finish the race. I did my best in very difficult circumstances, at the end the tyre performance was even worse than it had been during the early laps."

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