MotoGP, Dani Pedrosa: “My times have improved with age”

First in the morning, third in the afternoon. Dani Pedrosa has gone back in time at Jerez. The “old” champion set the new generation of riders straight, once again bewitching everyone with his riding style. And the first to be surprised by his own speed was Dani, who hadn’t raced in the MotoGP since last year, with a wild card in Austria.

“I’m very happy. It was a great and unexpected day for me, for the team, for the fans. It was a surprise. I had a good feeling. It was the first time I went below 1’37” in Jerez … My times have improved with age,” he said smiling. “In the afternoon, the conditions were more difficult, with more wind and heat. I couldn’t improve. Whoever did, was really fast, because the track was worse. Overall, I’m very happy. Getting straight into the Q2 isn’t easy.”

Especially on a weekend when there’s little time to get the hang of it again, and Friday to decide who’s already entering the Q2 or not. Even more so when a small part of your brain also experiences the GP as a test.

“Usually, I always ride alone. Today I learned a lot. I understood how the aerodynamics behave when you follow someone,” Pedrosa explained. “There was no big difference in the past. Now it’s huge. The bike changes a lot when you’re in a slipstream.I always had doubts in the tests when I tested something, and this experience in a GP is very useful for me, in order to have a bigger picture. I didn’t look at others to understand the strengths or weaknesses of their motorcycles, but the effect of being behind someone. I know that I’ll be in the group tomorrow in the sprint race, and I wanted to prepare myself, understand how to brake, and have good control of the bike.” 

Since he's starting to dream, how far will he be able to go?

“I’ve already achieved a lot getting into the Q2. I don’t know what to expect in qualifying, and especially in the race. It’s been a long time since I’ve overtaken someone.”

Max Biaggi told us that this is what happens when you put an old champion in the midst of youngsters.

“Those are nice words, but these riders are very fast. That’s for sure.” Dani  brushed it aside. “From what I saw, they’re really fast from the first lap. They don’t even have to warm up.”

But Dani knows how to hold his own, and the KTM helps him.

“It’s the best RC16 I’ve ever ridden, because they did a good job in development. Everything is more balanced, in every area. Accelerations, straights, different types of corners,” he concluded.