Rossi and Hayden inspired for Catalunya

The Ducati Team riders are keenly anticipating this weekend’s Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya, at a circuit they both enjoy.

Both Ducati Team riders like the Catalan Grand Prix, citing both the track’s layout and the large crowds that forever heat up the Spanish races. Valentino Rossi, who did not take part in the 2010 round due to injury, has scored wins at the track in every class, collecting an inspiring nine victories and a further four podiums. Nicky Hayden also made the podium in 2006, on his way to the MotoGP title.

Valentino Rossi:

“The Catalan Grand Prix is one of the nicest of the season, for a number of reasons: Barcelona is a beautiful city, the track is really nice – almost certainly my second-favourite after Mugello – and finally, as is always the case at Spanish races, the grandstands are packed with enthusiastic fans. I’m really happy to return to the track, since I had to watch the race from my house last year. I’ve always been quite strong at the track, so I have many nice memories, the most recent of which is the 2009 win after a great clash with Lorenzo. We’re very aggravated and we’re working really hard on the bike; step-by-step, we can see that we’re making progress. We know there’s still a lot of work to be done, but we need to keep annoying to get closer to the front.”

Nicky Hayden:

“Any race in Spain is huge, and Catalunya is no exemption. It’s a good track. I made the podium there in 2006, although I haven’t gotten the results I’d like there in recent years, particularly last season. I’m looking forward to it. The two weeks off have been okay, but I like this part of the season, with back-to-back races. The next month and a half is leaving to be busy, because this is when the season really gets going. Even though our end result wasn’t a lot better in Le Mans, I absolutely think we were closer to the front. Ducati hasn’t stopped functioning over the last couple of weeks, and we’ll see at Barcelona if we can keep going on the right path.”

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Lorenzo fastest in morning test session at Estoril

Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo (Yahama Factory Racing) led at the midway point of the MotoGP official test session held at the Portuguese circuit, subsequent yesterday’s race. The test is split into two parts: 10.00 -13.00 and 14.00-18.00 local time. Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda) were second and third quickest correspondingly.

On a gloriously warm day in Estoril, Lorenzo was the first rider to emerge on track in the morning session. The reigning MotoGP World Champion’s quickest lap of the morning sitting was 1’37.170 which was 0.240s ahead of Edwards. The Spaniard was absorbed on new electronic components and working on the suspension of his factory M1 machine. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider worked on the race setting from yesterday, as did Stoner. Edwards and his team were also trying to find more grip from modifications on the chassis.

Estoril race winner Dani Pedrosa called an early halt to his test session after only carrying out a few laps. The Spaniard tried a new clutch and worked on the race setting of his factory RC212V, but was in too much pain to carry on and will now rest in the lead up to the next MotoGP race in Le Mans. Pedrosa was fifth fastest, just over half a second slower than Lorenzo’s fastest lap.

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MotoGP action back on at Estoril

After an comprehensive break in the MotoGP calendar the premier class returns to action at the bwin Grande Prémio de Portugal this weekend, and there is bounty to watch out for at Estoril in Round 3.

Almost four weeks after the Jerez round – the extensive break being due to the postponement of the Japanese GP until October – the MotoGP World Championship returns to action at Estoril this weekend, where the bwin Grande Prémio de Portugal hosts Round 3 of the 2011 season. This will be the 14th time that there has been a Portuguese GP.

There was no lack of talking points following Round 2 in southern Spain, where defensive World Champion Jorge Lorenzo took his first win of 2011 in the wet, and was followed onto the podium by a Dani Pedrosa struggling with his recovering left arm and Nicky Hayden. Casey Stoner’s incapability to finish the race after being taken down in an incident involving Valentino Rossi, the latter of whom managed to remount his bike and finish fifth, merely added to what was a extremely eventful race at Jerez.

Yamaha Factory Racing rider Lorenzo has a frightening recent record at the Estoril track, having won for the past three consecutive seasons from pole position. The Spaniard has now finished within the top four for 22 straight races, and leads the early Championship standings by nine points in front of rival Dani Pedrosa. The Repsol Honda man arrives in Portugal hopeful that surgery right away after Jerez will have eased the discomfort caused in his left arm, and in spite of that he secured a 90th GP podium in the last round making him only the tenth rider to arrive at the milestone in the World Championship’s 63-year history. .

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Pedrosa eager to get back to exploit in Portugal

The Repsol Honda rider underwent a custom medical check on Monday, and gave an update on his recovery from his latest surgery in his blog.

Dani Pedrosa had a custom medical check on Monday to assess the status of his getting better left arm, following surgery a fortnight ago. The Repsol Honda rider – who cracked his left collarbone last October in Japan – had the titanium plate and screws fixed to the bone in the result of the injury removed following the Jerez round at the start of the month, after he had begun to skill a compression of his left subclavian artery.

Writing in his blog on Monday following a check-up, Pedrosa discussed the revival process following his surgery at the start of April. “The truth is that it went well and in the days that have followed I’ve familiar my custom to the recommendations made by the medical team, so that the recovery goes as well as it probably can. Today (Monday) I had a custom medical check and it seems that things are going well, even though we have to be cautious until I get back on the bike in Portugal.”

The Repsol Honda rider is now eager to get back on his RC212V and test out his fitness, although he will have to wait until the opening day’s practice at the bwin Grande Prémio de Portugal on April 29th.

“I’m eager and aggravated to return to competition to test the feeling I have on the bike, and to see if I can forget about these problems as soon as possible,” he continued. “The past few days I have been calming at home, getting in the rest recommended by the doctors. Even though a break in the calendar has coincided with the healing I have a lot of motivation to return to competitive fitness, operational with the team and above all getting on the bike.”

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Successful operation for Pedrosa

The Repsol Honda rider had the titanium plate and screws set to his collarbone removed during surgery in Barcelona.

Dani Pedrosa has undergone victorious surgery at Teknon Medical Centre, in Barcelona, to decompress his left subclavian artery and is expected to recover satisfactorily. The involvement was performed by the Dr. César García-Madrid, vascular surgeon, and Dr. Joaquim Casañas, trauma and orthopaedic surgeon, both specialists at Teknon.

In order to release the arterial density, the titanium plate and the screws fixed to the collarbone have been detached. The subclavian artery has also been estranged from the fibrotic tissues that surrounded costoclavicular space. At the same time, intraoperative angiography by plainly invasive transfemoral approach confirmed the return of the subclavian flow.

The medical checks performed last week at Institut Vascular Sala Planell, counting several physical tests and four dimensional CT with contrast in specific positions, established that the symptoms of pain, numbness and lack of strength in Dani’s left arm were due to compression of the subclavian artery secondary to the collarbone fracture.

Dani Pedrosa will remain in hospital for a further 48 hours to carry on treatment with analgesia and anti-inflammatories. Next week he will visit the doctors again to decide his rehabilitation, in order to contribute in the Grand Prix of Portugal, to be held in Estoril on May 1st.

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MotoGP: Pedrosa’s Shoulder Not 100% Fit, Doctors Rule Out Any Complication

Dani Pedrosa underwent further medical checks after recurring from Doha to seek an answer to the discomfort that returned to his left arm throughout the Grand Prix of Qatar last weekend. 

The Repsol Honda Team rider, who despite the pain managed to take a third place finish at Losail, suffered from lack of feeling and lack of strengh in his left arm during the race and suspected that the injury he suffered in Japan last October had not completely disappeared, which encouraged him to re-visit specialists.

Dani passed several tests, consisting in a three-dimensional CAT scan with difference and MRI. The results showed that there is no vascular or nerve compression in the canal of the collarbone, but there is a small stretch in the plexus, which is gradually civilizing but will need more time to finish healing

DANI PEDROSA

“I honestly didn’t expect my arm would respond in this way because during pre-season I didn’t feel too much trouble and I consideration the problem was solved. However, I felt really bad in the Qatar race and was aware that the injury is not totally healed. It was a shame because in Qatar I had a good feeling and until the second half of the race - which is when the pain started - I was really strong and I saw a sensible chance of winning. I would be lying if I said I’m not disappointed because this year the bike is working very well and physically I feel good, but unluckily this complication has arisen and I have nothing else to do but give my best until the wound heals completely”.

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Pedrosa: "This year will be very spirited"

The Repsol Honda rider, satisfied with the official Tests held at Sepang, faces the last meeting in Qatar before the start of the Championship.

The start of the Championship is future and Dani Pedrosa as well as his team-mates of the Repsol Honda Team, Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso, have shown that they are the MotoGP competitors in shape during the pre-season. The Repsol Honda rider is certain of his and his bike’s chances, after winter Tests in which he has suffered none of the bodily or technical problems he had had in previous years.

From the first test in Valencia in November 2010 until the last tests held at Sepang, where have you enhanced the most with your bike?

“Basically, the bike has not changed so much, so what we have tried to do is to get better it in the most critical areas, such as the braking or the electronics.”

What is your assessment of the last tests in Sepang?

“The best thing is that this year we have better foundations, opposing to what happened in the previous years, when we had to develop and improve the bike during the Championship. This season we start with a very positive training that will allow us to face the first race of the Championship with a good level of presentation.”

Is there something still to be done in the next Qatar test or will it just be used to get ready the first race of the Championship?

“There are always things to be done, but the main aim of the Qatar test will be to learn to make the most of the set-up we will use in the race. If the track situation are good, we will be able to take advantage of it.”

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Dani Pedrosa Sepang Test Wallpaper

Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa is in the best probable condition ahead of the second MotoGP pre-season practice of 2011, which will be held at the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia from Feb. 26-27.

Pedrosa, the runner-up in the 2010 MotoGP World Championship, continues his revival from the motorcycle crash and injury he suffered in the Japanese Grand Prix; the Spaniard continued a double crack to the left collarbone.

Although the motorcycle rider was flown home and operated on in the USP Dexeus clinic in Barcelona, the heavy bruise and bulge had caused a numbness and lack of strength in Dani Pedrosa's left arm while riding his Honda.

To no avail, the Honda RC212V rider in progress the first practice of the year in Malaysia strong. Dani Pedrosa twisted the fasted lap on the second full day of testing with a time of 2 minutes, 0 seconds and 770 thousandths on his old race bike, that was 1 second and a half faster than the pole set by Jorge Lorenzo last October.

The MotoGP time set by Dani Pedrosa on his fourth lap was the fastest ever at this circuit on a motorcycle but was later beaten by another Honda rider, the sophomore Italian racer Marco Simoncelli.

Dani Pedrosa (Honda RC212V MotoGP Bike) say: "I don't think we have ever been so fast on this circuit, but you just find physically a bit fresher in the morning and I put in four very good laps. I was not after a fast time but I saw that the track surface was good and I went for it."

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Dani Pedrosa: Rossi is Rossi…

Dani Pedrosa says Valentino Rossi can never be inexpensive as a title contender, despite the somewhat unpromising start to the seven-time MotoGP world champion's career as a Ducati rider.

Rossi finished the first pre-season test of 2011 in a modest 11th position overall, while Pedrosa – jointly with Honda stablmates Casey Stoner and Marco Simoncelli – have been in the middle of the main pace setters.

Despite this, Pedrosa is refusing to get rid of Rossi from the equation of title challenger, maintaining the Italian has the aptitude to turn things around in time for the start of the new season.

“The great unknown amount will perhaps be Rossi,” he said in his latest blog. “It's his first year with Ducati and in Malaysia he wasn't amongst the fastest riders. But Rossi is Rossi, and you can not at all rely on anything. Even when he's in last place on the Saturday he still has the ability to surprise.”

Additionally, Pedrosa is wary of reigning champions Yamaha, pointing out that and Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies carry on to display the most convincing race pace.

“Right now the Honda RC212V seems to be performance well. We'll see what happens when we get to the first GP of the year, because the whole thing could change there. You never know, but at the instant everything points towards a tough World Championship.

“The Yamaha continues to have a good rhythm lap upon lap. Lorenzo, as the defending Champion, is a rival to beat, and Spies had a huge season in 2010 and will certainly be better this year.”

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Honda presents its sporting programme in Tokyo

The HRC riders flew directly to the Japanese capital from Sepang, where they took part in a stunning occasion to mark the start of the season.

The Welcome Plaza headquarters of Honda Motor Company in Tokyo was the setting for the Japanese factory's appearance of its 2011 sporting programme this week, which included national and international behavior connecting both motorcycling and motorsport.

The three riders on the Repsol Honda team this year, Dani Pedrosa, Andrea Dovizioso and Casey Stoner, flew straight from Sepang for the event, along with Japanese rider Hiroshi Aoyama. Also present was Gresini Racing Moto2's Yuki Takahashi, who represented the middle category riders, the class to which Honda is the official engine supplier.

During the event, at which Honda Motor Company President and CEO Takanobu Ito was present, Dani Pedrosa commented that he was “very pleased both with the result of the Sepang Test and the condition of my shoulder after the operation this winter”. With regards to his aims for the season, Pedrosa said that “the most significant thing is to continue working hard and learning, which is the only way to get better and to get better each year. I hope to be reliable and get good results in every race.”

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Repsol Honda trio sustain solid momentum

Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso engaged three of the top four positions on the timesheet on day two of the Sepang Test.

The Repsol Honda team enjoyed another creative day of Testing at Sepang on Wednesday, as Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso all finished inside the top four on the timesheet whilst accomplishing a solid amount of work on the development of their RC212V machines.

Pedrosa topped the timings with the initial and so far only lap under 2’01”, lapping at 2’00.770 on only his fourth turn of the circuit in the morning. The Spaniard spent the day trying out different chassis set-ups, the new RC212V engine and also worked on deferment with Öhlins technicians.

“I think it's the first time I've ridden so fast on this track, but you're just fresh in the morning and I did four very good first laps,” said Pedrosa, whose best attempt was just 0.252s off Valentino Rossi’s circuit best lap, set in 2009. “I was not looking for a time, but I saw that the track situation were good and I pushed. The closer you get to the limit, the clearer the changes you are doing on the bike become, which guide you in the right direction.”

He continued: “Today I tried the new engine, which has enhanced from Valencia, some chassis configurations and rear shocks. Tomorrow the plan is to carry on comparing both bikes and it would be great to come away with the chassis and engine determined for the next test."

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Recap 2010: Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix

motogp's complete summary of the ninth round of the season at the Laguna Seca offers you the chance to re-live the best of the action, with easy one-click access to the video highlights.

Marking the halfway point in the season – the ninth of 18 rounds on the 2010 MotoGP calendar – the Californian sunshine welcomed the premier class to the Laguna Seca in late July, and provided the chance for the premier class stars to enjoy some of the glitz and glamour thanks to the close nearness to Hollywood.

Taking advantage of that were Jorge Lorenzo, Ben Spies and Colin Edwards, who were connected by the MotoGP legends Eddie Lawson, Kenny Roberts and Wayne Rainey as Yamaha riders past and present were treated to a trip around the American TV presenter Jay Leno’s extensive collection of cars and motorcycles. Meanwhile over on Sunset Beach, Dani Pedrosa was surfing and then took a skydiving lesson in a wind tunnel courtesy of Red Bull.

The serious commerce began at the pre-race press conference where Lorenzo, Pedrosa and Spies were joined by Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden. The famous Laguna track was also navigated by MotoGP legend Kevin Schwantz, who gave a tour of the circuit layout.

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OnBoard at Valencia: Dani Pedrosa’s race start

The special cameras captured the Repsol Honda rider’s blistering start off the grid at the GP Generali de la Comunitat Valencia. Witness his first lap in this motogp.com video!

Dani Pedrosa made one of the starts of the season in the final round of the 2010 campaign at Valencia on Sunday, and the OnBoard cameras caught it all from the Spaniard’s Repsol Honda RC212V machine.

You can review Pedrosa’s fantastic start and first lap in the attached motogp.com video!

2010 season finale in Valencia

The 18th and final round of the 2010 MotoGP World Championship this weekend will see the runner-up spot decided, with the following Official Test offering an immediate taste of what is to come in 2011.

The Ricardo Tormo Circuit hosts the Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana this weekend for the 12th year running, and what has since 2002 been the traditional season-ending round. The 18th instalment of the 2010 MotoGP campaign will see runner-up to already-crowned Champion Jorge Lorenzo decided, with Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi the candidates still able to take the honour.

Despite having wrapped up the title with three rounds to spare Lorenzo is still hungry for victories, as proven with his eighth of the season last time out at Estoril. The Fiat Yamaha rider is also on course to set a new record for the highest number of points scored in a single season in the MotoGP class as well as equal a number of other milestones, with the added incentive that Valencia is just one of three circuits on the current calendar at which he has not won in any class. He did finish on the podium last year however and will now aim to go one better.

The man with the most success at the venue is Pedrosa, last year’s race winner and with five victories in total across the premier (twice), 250cc (twice) and 125cc classes. The Repsol Honda rider currently has the best chance of finishing second in the Championship, holding a 19-point advantage over third-placed Rossi, but he is still recovering from his collarbone injury having only made his return to racing in Portugal having sat out three races.

Rossi has winning form at Valencia from 2003 and 2004, but is yet to taste victory on an 800cc machine there. The Italian, along with Lorenzo, will be aiming to deliver Yamaha their first win in the format, and came close last year in finishing second.

Instant improvement in comfort noted by Pedrosa

The Repsol Honda rider felt much better riding his RC212V at the Estoril on Friday as he got his bwin Grande Premio de Portugal weekend underway in less than welcoming weather conditions.

Dani Pedrosa ended the first day of the bwin Grande Premio de Portugal satisfied with how he felt physically, as the Repsol Honda rider continued his recovery from the broken collarbone that has forced him to miss the last three races.

The 25 year-old did ride and qualify for the previous round in the Australia but opted against participating in the race due to the pain caused by his injury, and having had an extra 12 days in which to recuperate he noted an immediately improved feeling in Friday afternoon’s second practice at Estoril.

“Straight away I felt much better on the bike here than I did in Australia and the shoulder has recovered a lot, which is very positive,” said Pedrosa, who along with the majority of the premier class opted against riding in the first practice due to the wet weather conditions.

“I feel a little bit tired now, but basically I feel okay after riding today. It was a pity that we missed the whole practice this morning because of the rain, and also at the beginning of the afternoon session the track conditions were difficult, which limited what we could achieve. To be honest I didn’t feel totally at home on the bike today but I think this is normal after so long without riding, and this situation will improve.”

With the focus on re-establishing his comfort on the bike times were not on Pedrosa’s mind, as he completed 19 laps with a best time of 1’53.592 – just over five seconds off Jorge Lorenzo’s top time.

Pedrosa taking it “step by step”

The Repsol Honda rider was back on his RC212V for the first time two weeks to the day after fracturing his collarbone, as he took to the track for the FP1 at the Iveco Australian Grand Prix.

Dani Pedrosa took the next step in his recovery from his fractured collarbone on Friday when he made his return to action in the opening practice session at Phillip Island. The Repsol Honda rider completed just seven laps as he took an understandably cautious approach to testing his comfort level on his factory RC212V in wet conditions.

“The plan today was simply to check my condition on the bike – in these conditions I didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks. What I can say is that I had some strength to move on the bike and put pressure on the handlebars which is good,” explained the 25 year-old.

“However, I didn’t feel very comfortable with the leathers because they were tight and there was pressure but even with that I could do some laps and tomorrow I will try again – we will go step-by-step. Now it’s quite painful but we will see how the pain goes through the night and tomorrow we will take another step. We knew it wouldn’t be easy but I just hope that the effort is worth it in the end.”

Adverse weather conditions overnight made the first practice on Friday a wet affair and Pedrosa is hoping for an improved physical feeling in Saturday’s second session before qualifying.

“To ride in wet conditions is more smooth than in the dry, but also more risky. The asphalt today was very, very cold and here it’s a problem because on the right hand turns you don’t have any grip at all,” continued Pedrosa. “The hardest point was braking, changing direction and in the right hand corners because I have to stretch my arms a lot, but I hope we can work a little bit on the leathers to make it more comfortable for tomorrow. Afterwards I went to the Clinica Mobile and they told me that now I need to relax the muscles. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow.”

Pedrosa secured his first Phillip Island premier class podium with third place in last year’s race.

Spaniard Dani Pedrosa fastest in practice for the Honda

Dani Pedrosa, boosted by signing a new two-year deal with the Honda, continued his superb recent form by topping the practice timesheets during the Friday's running ahead of the inaugural Aragon Grand Prix.

The 24-year-old Spaniard won the last two races in the Indianapolis and Misano and he topped the first of Friday's two sessions near the Alcaniz, setting a best time of one minute 50.506 seconds.

The day's second session, added to the schedule, along with a third session on Saturday morning, to allow the riders to familiarise themselves with their new surroundings, was washed out by the rain with no one able to better their times from the morning running.

Casey Stoner, who will partner Pedrosa at Honda next year, set the pace during that session following a heavy rain shower.

Pedrosa's dominance in the morning saw him beat the Ducati of Nicky Hayden into second by a full four tenths of a second, with the championship leader Jorge Lorenzo third for Yamaha ahead of the other Ducati of Stoner.

Marco Simoncelli was an excellent fifth on his Gresini Honda, ahead of Valentino Rossi and Hector Barbera, who continues to impress on the Aspar Ducati.

Andrea Dovizioso, Colin Edwards and Ben Spies rounded out the top 10.

But the wet afternoon session saw Pedrosa struggle badly and he will be hoping that the remainder of the weekend is dry after ending the second 45-minute session way back in 13th place, a full 3.6 seconds off Stoner's pace.

The Australian took advantage of a drying track surface to beat Lorenzo by over half a second in the dying moments.

Hayden, who looked strong throughout both sessions, was third fastest in the damp with Rossi fourth and Marco Melandri fifth on the second Gresini machine.

Lorenzo, who leads Pedrosa by 63 points in the standings, was disappointed at his relative lack of pace in the morning, but was happier with how his M1 handled in the wet.

"We are lacking a bit of grip but I hope we can improve our setting more tomorrow so we can make another step," he said.

"Unfortunately it rained this afternoon but it was good to get the chance to try our wet setting and it seems our bike was okay in these bad conditions.

"It was good to have two practice sessions today; even though the overall amount of time is the same over four days, four separate sessions makes it easier to get to know the circuit and what we need in order to be fast here."

The new circuit met with almost universal approval from the riders and teams, with Tech 3 Yamaha racer Spies among those enjoying the new challenge.

The Texan said: "I really like the track. It has got some good elevation changes that make it pretty cool and the first couple of the corners remind me of Istanbul Park (in Turkey) on the video game. You know it is a fun track when you want to stay out and ride and that's how I felt today.

"I was pleased with progress in the dry this morning and I'm really happy with how it went in the rain."

Pedrosa excited at Aragón challenge

A new circuit and the continued chase of the Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo have the Repsol Honda rider in a highly motivated mood ahead of the weekend.

Dani Pedrosa is a focused man ahead of this weekend’s Gran Premio A-Style de Aragón where he will be going for a fifth win of the 2010 season. So far the Repsol Honda rider has already doubled his best-ever win tally in a season with his four wins to date, and with victory last time out at the Misano took his first back-to-back premier class successes.

At 63 points off Championship leader and rival Jorge Lorenzo the task that faces him may appear daunting at first sight, but the fact that Pedrosa has recouped 14 points in the last two rounds and still has 150 to ride for in the remaining six races paints a far more open picture.

This weekend will see the 24 year-old face off against Lorenzo on home soil as the World Championship makes its first ever visit to the new Motorland Aragón circuit, a track that Pedrosa scoped out back in July in a private test.

“I’m looking forward to arriving at the Motorland Aragón and trying the new track on the RC212V,” he said. “I did some laps in July with a Honda CBR1000RR street bike and I really enjoyed the layout – I loved the circuit. It’s very different to the ones we are used to racing at in the MotoGP Championship, and so it will be really interesting this weekend. The circuit combines fast and slow corners which are quite technical, and the last straight and finish line section is going to be amazing. There are also some blind turns where you need to look for the references outside the track. The facilities are very high spec and it looks like the fans are in for a treat at this race.”

Pedrosa has finished second to Lorenzo in both the Spanish rounds so far this year at Jerez and Catalunya, and arrives at Aragón with a renewed confidence following his recent dominant run of form.

“It’s always very nice to race in Spain and I can imagine that the atmosphere will be incredible; I’m looking forward to meeting the Spanish fans again,” he said. “The team and I also arrive in a very good mood thanks to the great job we have been doing and our good results in the last races. It will be a challenge for everybody this weekend and we need to make the most of the practice sessions – in this area we have improved a lot in the second part of the season. Our bike has been working well at very different circuits, so I hope we can also do a good job in Aragón. I’m really looking forward to this Grand Prix.”

It is not just Pedrosa and Lorenzo who are competing closely having both now taken 12 premier class victories in their careers. After the former’s win at Misano Honda and Yamaha have taken exactly the same number of MotoGP victories during the four-stroke era at 59 each.

Spain's Dani Pedrosa seals Indianapolis MotoGP victory

Spain's Dani Pedrosa sealed his third win of the season with an impressive victory in the Indianapolis MotoGP.

Pedrosa, who fell while leading at the Brickyard 12 months ago, started fifth but had moved up to the second by the lap four.

He then got ahead of pole-sitter and home favourite Ben Spies on lap eight before gradually extending his lead.

He finished 3.575 seconds clear of Spies, who earned his best-ever finish, with championship leader Jorge Lorenzo third and Valentino Rossi fourth.

It was Lorenzo's worst result of the season, but he still leads the standings by 68 points from Pedrosa, with seven rounds to go.

"I shouldn't be disappointed with third place but at the same time I'm not happy with my race," Lorenzo said. "I didn't ride as well as I could have and I didn't get a good start."

Pedrosa said: "It was an especially tough one because of the heat.

"I didn't make the perfect start but I was quite quick through the first few tight corners and stayed close to the leaders.

"When I was out in front it was quite hard to stay focused and at the end of the race I was really tired but I'm very happy because last year I crashed when I could have won and now I have made up for it."

World champion Rossi finished fourth, despite crashing in morning practice, and remains fifth overall, one place ahead of Spies.

Pedrosa's other wins this season have come in Italy and Germany.

The next race on the calendar is next Sunday in San Marino.

Earlier, Toni Elias of Spain claimed his third consecutive Moto2 victory in a race that was reduced to just 17 laps following an eight-rider crash on the opening lap.

Pedrosa targets victory

Dani Pedrosa is targeting victory in this weekend's Indianapolis MotoGP race as he seeks to banish the memory of his crash in the same event 12 months ago.

On that occasion, the Repsol Honda rider appeared in a class of his own at the Brickyard, topping the timesheets throughout practice and qualifying before taking an early lead in the race.

However, disaster struck Pedrosa when he pushed too hard, too quickly and came off his bike.

Although he has no realistic chance of overhauling the 77-point deficit to championship leader Jorge Lorenzo during the balance of the season, Pedrosa says he will be pushing for victory on Sunday nonetheless.

"I'm going to Indianapolis in a very good mood and I'm feeling ready to finish the job we weren't able to complete in the race there last time," said Pedrosa, who finished second behind Lorenzo in the Czech MotoGP a fortnight ago.

"I felt really comfortable riding in Indy last year. I was on top of the timesheets from the first practice, I took pole position and the only mistake I made was in the race. So I hope this time we can put together a strong weekend and take another good result.

"We were fast and consistent at the last race in Brno and we'll be aiming to get straight back on that pace again this weekend."
Risk avoidance

Fiat Yamaha rider Lorenzo is likely to prove the major obstacle standing between his fellow Spaniard and victory, however, having yet to finish a race this season outside the top two.

The 23-year-old inherited the win at Indianapolis last year and also finished top of the podium the last time MotoGP travelled Stateside to Laguna Seca a month ago. However, he acknowledged that he has no need to take unnecessary risks this weekend.

Lorenzo said: "This weekend will be the second race in this country in 2010 and I am looking forward to it because I would like to repeat the same result as I got in Laguna!

"I just have good memories from America, last month in Laguna and last year in Indy. Last year was amazing, but this time I don't need to take too many risks. We can avoid it!

"Indy is a track that I like a lot and it has amazing history. The team and I are planning to continue our great season there this weekend."