Pedrosa delighted to take victory at Honda’s home track

 In MotoGP, News

Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa added today to his track record a new victory in the premiere category, the 400th of Spanish Motorcycling history and his third win of the season. It was a chaotic race, where his team mates Stoner and Dovizioso were out of the fight for victory when they were leading the race, the first due to a problem with the brakes and the second due to a ride-through penalty after taking the start a bit early.

Dani Pedrosa’s relationship with Japan is undoubtedly very special. He has won races here both in 125c.c. and 250c.c., and in this very same track he suffered last year the injure that ended his chances to fight for the MotoGP title. Today, three days after turning 26, he received a present in the form of the victory in the premiere category, after a good start from fourth position, that placed him second in the first corner, at Casey Stoner’s wheel and in front of Andrea Dovizioso. The Australian soon took some advantage, setting a very fast pace from the second lap, the same lap where Dovizioso overtook Pedrosa.

Nevertheless, the situation changed dramatically when in the fourth lap, a strong jolt on the front of Casey Stoner’s Honda left him temporarily without brakes, forcing him to have an off. In the manoeuvre to go back on track he fell to the seventh place, leaving Dovizioso in front. A lead that only lasted one lap, because in the next he had to do the ‘ride-through’ penalty for getting ahead of the start.

From that moment on, Pedrosa found free track to achieve a new victory, the first of a Honda rider in his own circuit since 2004. The Spaniard of the Repsol Honda Team stood the initial pressure from Jorge Lorenzo to increase the pace a bit later, set the fastest lap of the race in the eleventh lap and secured the win with more than seven seconds over Lorenzo and 18 over Stoner.

Dani Pedrosa 1st – 42:47.481
“I’m super happy with this victory, for the team that has been working so well, for HRC because this is the first win in Motegi with the Repsol Honda Team and for myself because it is the first time I’ve won here in MotoGP after doing so in 125cc and 250cc.

The race was strange at the beginning with Stoner and Dovi really fast on the first few laps, they pulled away and then Casey [Stoner] had some problem and Andrea [Dovizioso] had a ride through due to his jump start. I was alone in front with Lorenzo very close, but I tried to put my head down and push every lap to pull away.

I’m really happy because at this track I’ve had a mix of good and bad results and some bad injuries, so come back one year later and win in MotoGP is fantastic”.

Source: Repsol Media

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