Dani Pedrosa takes first win of 2010 at Mugello
After a difficult start to the season Dani Pedrosa is finally back on top of his game after claiming his first win of the season in the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello. Winner of the pole position yesterday, the race pace of the Repsol Honda rider was unrivaled and he dominated the race from start to finish.
The over 76,000 fans that filled the green banks of the Mugello circuit were able to witness another display from a stratospheric Dani Pedrosa. After starting from pole position he did not hesitate and was at the front of the pack by the first turn. As precise as a clock, Pedrosa destroyed the stopwatch in the first few laps, setting a pace that nobody could follow. His constant 1 minute 49 second laps allowed him to open a gap, while his rivals tried in vain to follow him. Lap after lap, the Spanish rider was the fastest of all the riders on the track, also setting a new circuit record in lap five. He continued to ride with a laptime consistently above that of any rival, riding with an advantage of more than six seconds over his pursuers after half the race. With an advantage of almost eight seconds in the final third of the race, the Repsol Honda Team rider started to manage his advantage until he passed under chequered flag, euphoric with the tremendous job done. Victory secured and now second in the overall standings, 25 points behind the leader, Jorge Lorenzo.
Dani Pedrosa:“It’s an unbelievable feeling to win again and I’m so happy for myself and the Repsol Honda Team. We’ve been working really hard and had some problems through the winter and in the first races, so I’m really delighted with this victory, especially after leading at Jerez for so long but not quite making it. It looks like we are back near where we need to be and the team deserves the victory. I had a great feeling on the bike today, especially at the beginning section of the race and I could open up a gap. To be honest I didn’t see who was behind me, I just looked for the gap on my pit board and tried to ride consistently. It’s important that we are competitive now because we have one weekend off and then three races in a row. The next race is at Silverstone which is a legendary track so I hope that we can match this kind of performance there – and also that this part of England has better weather! I’d like to thank the team, and also the fans here for pushing for Valentino because he’s having a hard time and everyone in the paddock wishes him well”.
Source: Repsol Media Service
