MotoGP news

Honda launches 2009 contender

The Repsol Honda team has unveiled the bike with which they hope takes them to the title this year; the RC212V was revealed in Madrid on Saturday as the team now looks towards Qatar's opening race of the season on 12 April. Rider Andrea Dovizioso was present, with the recovering Dani Pedrosa attending the event via videoconference.

Madrid's Pacacio de Deportes was the venue for Saturday's launch as Repsol Honda presented its bike amongst lights and music, with rider Andrea Dovizioso on hand to witness the show: "Becoming an official rider in the Repsol Honda Team is a dream come true for me. It is a great experience and an incredible challenge, something I have already had a chance to see in the pre-season practice sessions. Being in the official team means that you carry more responsibility, so now I have to help develop the motorcycle and this quite a complex task in MotoGP."

Dani Pedrosa remained in hometown Barcelona as he continues his recovery following his testing fall: "I feel well and I'm patient because I still need two weeks before starting to move the knee. I'm sorry I couldn't be with all the fans gathered in Madrid for the team presentation but I need to recover and in this moment I have to listen to my body. It was good to have the possibility to say hello to all the fans from Barcelona thanks to the video conference. I would have liked to do more training, but I will do it in different way."

Following his tea-mate's accident in February, Dovizioso has continued developing Honda's latest model: "The bike has improved as the engine power is more manageable and the chassis we are using really helped us with the feeling that the front end transmits to us, it now leans over better - from now on I will do all I can to fight for the world title."

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