Dani Pedrosa’s Remarkable Weekend at Misano

[Hugh Janus]

Dani Pedrosa had plenty to smile about at Misano. (KTM/)

Sunday morning at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, the butterflies in his stomach are the same—even if you are a three-time world champion and you have nothing to prove. MotoGP legend Dani Pedrosa—the Samurai—at nearly 38 years old, continues to impress.

“I have fulfilled my dream of becoming a racer,” the Repsol Honda rider said in 2018 when he decided to retire after a successful career crowned with three titles, 298 GP starts, 54 wins, and 153 podium finishes. Five years later, Pedrosa made another dream come true: fighting for the podium with the new KTM machine that he is developing for the Red Bull KTM. We almost had the chance to say, “154!” this weekend in Misano.

As a wild card in Misano, he made a superb performance finishing just off the podium (fourth) in Saturday’s Tissot Sprint and in Sunday’s GP with his signature clean style. Humble, fast, and more relaxed than ever, Pedrosa remains a legend in the history of motorcycle grand prix racing.

Related: Was the San Marino GP Really a Snoozer?

Pedrosa’s smooth riding style is celebrated by many riders his junior. (KTM/)

His Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Brad Binder, who finished behind Pedrosa, said, “It’s amazing to see how clean he rides. He never put the wheels outside the ideal line. He is doing a fantastic job, and this is amazing for us as he is setting the basis for our future. I’m not surprised by his performance—he is a phenomenal racer.”

His former teammate Marc Márquez added: “It’s amazing to ride behind Dani. His riding style is the cleanest of all of us. When I made my debut in MotoGP in 2013, I used to follow him a lot to learn as much as possible, and that year I won the world title!”

“His riding style is so clean as if his bike was on rails,” 2023 MotoGP point leader Francesco  Bagnaia said.

Congratulations, Dani, for this superb race weekend.

The race was physically demanding, but I’m really satisfied with the result. I have never been so happy in my career for a fourth place! I tried to keep the pace of the three front-runners, and we fought with Pecco Bagnaia for the podium.

You impressed already in the sprint.

Saturday has become a hectic and long day with the qualifying and the sprint race, where you cannot make mistakes. In the sprint, I made a good start and I put myself in a good position. I was surprised by the impressive rhythm set by Jorge Martín, especially in the first laps. I did my pace, and I could catch Pecco who was in third position. I tried to overtake him, but he was very good at closing all the doors. He was braking very late, so we didn’t have a lot of margin, even though I had a better pace. It’s a pity as we arrived very close to the podium.

Pedrosa’s performance was clearly above the expectations of the team—and the competition. (KTM/)

After finishing fourth in the sprint, were you aiming at the podium on Sunday?

I took the start very motivated, I tried, but we had a problem with the tire pressure, that makes overtaking more difficult. I also have to say that when you are a test rider you lap mainly alone.

How did you feel on Sunday?

I felt more of the familiar feelings related to the race on Sunday. Sincerely, at the end of the 23 laps, I thought, ‘This is a proper race!’ The sprint is an important result, it can give you motivation, but the real race is on Sunday; it’s long and you need to be strategic. You need to know how to manage the machine, your energies, and the race dynamics.

Aged almost 38 and with all your experience, do you still feel butterflies in your stomach before the start?

Yes (he smiles). On Sunday morning I was more nervous compared to Saturday when I felt more relaxed. My stomach was closed, maybe because we were going to use the medium tire. But I have to say that I really enjoyed the race.

What mark would you give to yourself for this fantastic race weekend?

I am quite happy with my performance. I would give a very good mark to the team because they adapted very well to the schedule, the rhythm of the sprint race and the long race. From my side, I tried to help them as much as possible, avoiding crashing and making mistakes that could have complicated the weekend.

Pre-race butterflies don’t go away so easily, even when the pressure is less than the days Pedrosa was expected to battle for the win. (KTM/)

You looked more like a racer than a test rider. Would you like to return to racing?

This is not in my plans (he laughs). There are more available riders than bikes on the grid, so I don’t want to create more mess.

Would you return just for the sake of racing, without all the commitments with the media and the sponsors?

I really had fun this race weekend, but I think everything has a time. I really enjoyed my era, and now it’s the time for the younger generations. Despite two fantastic race weekends in Jerez and here in Misano, I’m happy as I am. I am also enjoying the race more and more with this perspective from the outside.

Pedrosa’s role as a test rider is vital to Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s success. (KTM/)

Why did you decide to retire?

Because you get to a point when you feel that it’s time to leave the scene to the young people. Now I understand even more clearly the incredible efforts that Valentino Rossi or Loris Capirossi put in when they won their last race. When I was young, I took this for granted as they have always been fast and talented riders—but now, at my age, I can better understand the incredible value of their victories.

Looking at the difficult situation in Honda, maybe they need your help.

I haven’t received any call yet (he laughs). I think Honda has a lot of work to do! I’m doing my best for KTM, and I already have a contract with them for the 2024 season.

There are a lot of rumors around Marc Márquez as he hasn’t announced yet his plans for the future. What would you do in his place?

It’s very difficult to answer. Firstly, because I’m not Marc. We need to consider that he has a long history with Honda, with Repsol, and I don’t know how things really went in the last years, so he is the only one who can take this decision. I know that it is a difficult decision considering that he is 30 years old, but I think he will find the way to steer his future in the right direction.

Pedrosa doesn’t feel the need to return to racing full time. (KTM/)

Looking back, what do you see in the mirror?

I’m very happy as in my career I have achieved more than what I could have imagined. I have also learned a lot from the difficult moments. When something tough happens, you can decide to remain upset or try to understand and see what you can learn for the future. I have gone through several incidents, lots of injuries, moments when you are down or you touch the sky—and I’m still learning day after day.

Source

[YamaHead]

He's a helluva rider....It's awesome to see him looking happy.

[XTreme]

5 hours ago, YamaHead said:

He's a helluva rider....It's awesome to see him looking happy.

Pity he never won a MotoGP title!

[Pedro]

He is one of the true gentlemen in MotoGP. I don’t often say this about spaniards