Dani Pedrosa turned into one of the stars of the weekend at Le Mans during the French GP, but not for his performance on the track. The buzz was due to a report in the Spanish media saying he had signed with Yamaha to ride the M1 for Yamaha’s factory team in 2017 and 2018. In other words, after 10 years he has decided to leave the Repsol Honda HRC Team … it was a shock!

Since then all parties involved are denying the news, but the Spanish rider confirmed that he had several offers on the table. “Yes, it’s true, I have offers from several factories, but Honda has been my priority.“ Obviously we asked about when he planned to make a decision about his future and if there was a deadline. “When you have to make a decision like this it isn’t just one thing that goes into it but many. And also the timing is important; we must analyze everything and then make a decision.” Dani speaks calmly, thinking about his answers and responding with common sense that his 10 seasons in MotoGP have given him. This is called experience. “So far the decisions I have made have always been positive for me, I think. I like to make my decisions with knowledge and not take them lightly.”

Not having achieved the greatest goal of any rider—that of a world title—especially at militate HRC, may be it is time to think in a change. On the options he has on the table there is one that on the paper looks better positioned to win the much coveted championship… So? “My goal, of course, is to win the world championship. To have a winning package is one of the most important things and what feed the enthusiasm and motivation. You have to know that if you work, if you are in good shape and if you have a good team, you will have the chance to win and be on top; that’s one thing that motivates me a lot.“

“Stay in Honda or change?…I like to make my decisions with knowledge and not take them lightly”, Dani Pedrosa

The next question was easy, because after a decade trying unsuccessfully, having the option to ride the bike that has won five championships in the last eight years is seen from the outside as “a last chance”. Is it not time to try something different? Dani stares at me before answering; in fact, he does not answer me at all. He shrugs his shoulders. “Pfff …” He doesn’t want to answer this. I asked him if he still has confidence in Honda, if he thinks it’s a bike that he can win the championship with despite the obvious problems it has had at the start of the season. The RCV with a common ECU and Michelins just doesn’t go. “I always believed I could win with Honda, and what is happening with our bike is normal,” he says, with the pointed serenity from before.

“Well, it’s normal with the changes that we have in the championship now; it happened with the 800cc like this. It ended up being in favor of Ducati, they were able to do better, they were lucky at that time while it cost us more. Now we will see how the championship develops. There are still many races where we don’t know how the tires will do, which are still changing. We must try to get going in a good direction.”

Pedrosa tries to convey confidence in the face of improving a motorcycle. The 2016 RCV started with problems that are difficult to solve under the new regulations. Dani knows this, and is in a situation where he is … what word could we use here, unhappy? Demoralized? Resigned? It seems that if there has been any time when Dani has been “vulnerable” it is right now. This writer believes that if he were in the same position, Pedrosa should have given Yamaha a try, and if this hasn’t happened it is because it is the second option for the team managed by Lin Jarvis.

His relationship with injuries

At 30 years, Pedrosa knows that little time remains for him to realize the world championship that he has been pursuing for so many years. So the other options he has on the table, like joining the KTM managed project that is run by his ex crew chief, Mike Leitner, Pedrosa describes as “interesting” but lack of the adrenaline component required to win.

The ongoing relationship of Pedrosa with the injuries, has led to extreme situations the doctors refusing to do any radiological examinations as a result of having exceeded the maximum number of radiation exposures recommended!

“I can’t tell you about how much time I have left here,” Dani replies when asked if he imagines himself as Rossi, active near the age of 40. “For me it is very important to the physical form, I have to be at a very good fitness level to ride the bike.” In this case Pedrosa knows very well what he is talking about. There is no other rider in MotoGP and possibly the entire paddock who has had such a close relationship with injuries. He doesn’t like to talk about this topic very much, especially compared to others, because the balance always leans negatively in his favor. “Obviously, we all make the mistake of comparing, but you have to accept that the things that have happened. To me, things have happened the way they did, and I had to make the effort necessary to overcome them; it was my destiny. What I can say is that after everything I am still here racing and I still can,” he says to end the topic.

This ongoing relationship with the worst part of racing, injuries, has led to extreme situations like coming to the point where doctors refuse to do any radiological examinations as a result of having exceeded the maximum number of radiation exposures recommended! “Ultimately, this led me to change my physical preparation. I started to take care of myself more. My training has changed a bit, it’s training, but more focused on preparing the body to prevent future injuries. Kind of like football when you fall and fall, you have to change things so that you don’t fall as often. So, a little like this.”

The wisdom of experience

When Dani Pedrosa is “interactive”, which is not always, talking to him about racing is very interesting, because his experience and background allow him to talk from the perspective of various situations. This was the case, for example, with the Michelin situation at the start of the championship season. Following the last GP in Jerez, Dani did not hesitate after the race to take the most test days as provided in the Championship protocols. “Well I think that the situation isn’t ideal now, it could be more flexible to help Michelin because I think they deserve it. Nor is their position easy. To come here and work every race with tires for many different motorcycles after not having been around for a few years … right?”

Also on the subject of the famous spoilers that have “invaded” the MotoGP class, Pedrosa’s view is interesting. His view differs completely from what we have heard thus far. “These winglets are strangers to MotoGP world; I don’t know if we have the knowledge and technical ability to get the maximum performance out of them. What I can say now is that their use provides positive and negative things at the same time. Certainly they improve stability and reduce the tendency to lift the front wheel on acceleration, but there are areas that worsen what we had. Currently their use is basically the rider’s choice, and that should be more than a technical issue, I think.”

Dani Pedrosa has a unique personality. He has never liked or been a “character in the paddock”

As you can see, Dani Pedrosa has a unique personality. He has never liked or been a “character in the paddock.” In the days when he was with Alberto Puig, his discoverer, he was the only rider who left the circuit every evening to sleep in hotel and away from the “contaminated and corrosive” world of the paddock. After years and what at the time seemed a partnership “’til death” Puig / Pedrosa, broke ties. Dani is now more open, is more communicative and is a little more present … but without excess.

Alberto Puig was precisely of whom we spoke before finishing. We discussed the path they went down together that somehow invented the role of “track advisor”, which now all the top MotoGP riders have; the last of which was the arrival of Luca Cadalora to Valentino Rossi’s team. Pedrosa instead has traveled the reverse path: for years he had a track advisor in the form of Puig, whereas now there is no such figure in his environs…Why?

“It’s funny, yes, we’ve done some good things that have worked for many” he answers, reflecting. “When I see at things like the messages on the boards [at the side of the track shown to the riders] that everyone now uses and many other things… we did that already in 125cc!…Why I don’t have an adviser now?... I couldn’t say,” he replies surprised, giving the feeling that he was asking himself the same question … Dani Pedrosa, the lone rider in the paddock.

SIDE CASE

“This is what happens to us in Honda”

What exactly makes the Honda so difficult? Is it the new engine with counter rotating crankshaft? Is it the lack of ability to adapt to the new ECU software? Is it the Michelin tires? There is no one better than Dani Pedrosa to explain the problems Honda is suffering. With precision and clarity, Dani explained what is going on…

“I’ll explain in concept, rather than every detail, because there are many things that affect each other. The basic idea is that we miss acceleration or ability to apply power. But it’s not because we lack horsepower, because in 4th, 5th and 6th gear the bike accelerates increasing the speed.

I can’t say wether it’s down to the grip or the wheelie tendency or the power delivery or the gear box or the gearing ratio… The difference is just huge, very clear. At this circuit [Le Mans] , it is more obvious than at others because there are many more acceleration points.

“I can’t say wether it’s down to the grip or the wheelie tendency or the power delivery or the gear box or the gearing ratio… The difference is just huge, very clear”.

For example, in practice you can follow someone and well, you’re seeing that the times are two tenths, three tenths down… a little bit more when the tire is new. You say to yourself : “I am riding full, I don’t understand where I’m losing time”. But when you get into the race and you’re sticked to the rider you have in front, you realize that it isn’t happening in the corners, also not exiting them. It’s something you don’t notice when you’re riding alone because you already are near that limit, wheelie-ing and sliding everywhere.

I don’t know how the race went for Marc, but in mine I was with the two Yamaha satellites and both Suzukis and at the beginning it was almost impossible to stay with them because I was losing so much time. I could not recover under braking because the grip was not very good. Then, when the tank was getting empty, I could brake later and the balance was a little different. At this stage my pace was as good as those in the front and I passed some riders, but it was too late.

“Every acceleration I was down easy two or three tenths and this way it’s impossible to overtake”.

Every acceleration I was down easy two or three tenths and this way it’s impossible to overtake. You accelerate, the riders in front open some meters and then when you get to the braking, you’re too far. To get ahead I had to pass people. I tried to overtake Bradley because he was slower, but there was no way to do it, on the straights I was always too far; I was losing laps behind him. In the end I found some way to get in front so then I could take a steady pace, it was the same pace that I had in FP1, the same times, but we couldn’t get ahead. The key problem is the acceleration. There is no acceleration so we gifted time to everyone whenever we were on a straight.

“Our strategy has to be trying to improve the first part of the race and see where I these changes affect the second part”.

Another key was also the qualifying. I tried to do better qualifying, but it seems that every time I try harder, I get worse. So I’ll see if next time I can try something different, if I go calmer and position myself ahead and start the race without losing 4 to 6 seconds in the first two laps.

This years bike is different compared with the one of last year, the tires are different and electronics are different. For now, our strategy has to be trying to improve the first part of the race and see where I these changes affect the second part. But if I gain a lot in the first and lose a bit in the second, the change will likely be from 15 seconds to 5 or 7 seconds from the front because I’ll gain more than I lose, then it will be better to improve the beginning of the race.”