Dani Pedrosa: a little more pain, better performance

Dani Pedrosa will start from the eighth position of the starting grid at the Gran Premio de la Comunidad Valenciana, final round of the 2016 season. Despite still recovering from his collarbone and fibula injury, the Spaniard has qualified directly for Q2, where he finished 1.173 seconds behind poleman Jorge Lorenzo.

The Castellar del Vallès rider described the day as “positive” and has taken stock of what happened: “It has been good to move to Q2 directly. I had to make an effort to improve my time, because I was running quite fast. In the FP4 we had a small fall, we worked with the rear tire, because yesterday I did not feel very strong, and today I tried to change the bike to have more grip with that rubber. After that I had little energy, I was not very awake for Q2. I tried to do the best I could, but the times of my rivals were very good. It has been difficult to do it better. ”

One of the big questions for Sunday’s race is the pain, and Dani has confirmed that it is slightly higher than Friday, although it was “a little loose on the bike.” In the FP4 he suffered a fall, but there was not damage: “The front just went. I faced the turn by forcing a little”, he said.

Looking ahead to race day, the key factor at technical level will be asphalt temperature. The soft tyre is the option that offers more sensations to the pilots although, for its durability, it’s “on the limit” of being a suitable option for the race. “I think most riders will opt for the soft one,” he told the press at the end of Saturday.

Also Pedrosa had planned to release a new design of his helmet in Motegi. However, the collarbone and fibula injury produced there didn’t allow him. The idea is to offer something new to his followers, and it is a Starline Designers idea that tries to blend the design of his modern helmet with the old one. “I think it’s pretty good. The important thing is that fans like it. I would have liked to have it in better shape, but I’m happy”, he concluded.