Pedrosa: The bike and I are OK

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Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa, satisfied with the results of the Sepang tests, is now ready to make his final preparations for the season opener in Qatar.

Pedrosa and his factory Honda teammates, Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso, have looked very strong in winter testing thus far. This has left Dani feeling very confident about his bike, and also confident about his physical condition, since this is one of the first years he has avoided a pre-season injury.

Between the test in Valencia and the last tests at Sepang, what part of the bike has improved most?

"Basically, the bike has not changed so much, so what we tried to do is to improve it in the most critical areas, such as the braking or the electronics".

What is your overall assessment of the Sepang tests?

"The best thing is that this year we have better foundations, contrary to what happened in the previous years, when we had to evolve and improve the bike during the championship. This season we start with a very positive preparation that will allow us to face the first race of the Championship with a good level of performance".

Is there something still to be done in the next Qatar tests or will they just be used to prepare 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 conditions are good, we will be able to take advantage of it".

What do you think about the unique practice schedule for the Qatar Grand Prix?

"The times of the practice sessions are not the best, so the best simulation we can do will be in the test we will have some days before. Anyway, as the track will be dirty, it will be difficult to make a comparison. As the day pass, the bikes will keep tidying the track and the conditions will improve. These tests will be useful to see the times we can set".

Obviously, to arrive in Qatar in your condition, after a positive preseason, must be a special motivation, although Qatar is a special round due to its unusual conditions…

"Qatar is a very different race because we run at night, with a different schedule where you have to pay more attention to details such as the tires. But once we start, the race is worth 25 points as in any other circuit, so you have to try and fight for them".

Can you say that you start the season more positive and confident than ever?

"I had difficult preseasons in the last few years, due to the bike, injuries, etc. However, this winter we have been able to have a better prepared bike, so we had less trouble. There is still one test left, but we hope everything will be fine and we will be able to have a good start of the year".

Could we say that you are physically recovered from past injuries?

"I am fairly well. Naturally, my shoulder is not exactly as it was before, but I hope I will feel fine in the first race, which will be the one to tell me which is my real level. I did a lot of laps this winter, but I have not run a whole race distance yet".

Being the only team with three riders, it is clear that the high level of the Repsol Honda Team is forcing the rest to increase their pace. This can be a very, very fast championship, seeing what we saw during the preseason....

"We will see as we go on. It is difficult to say what will happen. We only know that they will be very close races, that everyone will do their best. It will be more or less the same as the previous years, but there will certainly be a hard battle for the top places. As we have seen in the preseason, there will be a lot of competitiveness".

After the last test in Malaysia, is the bike a step above the rest?

"No, I think that right now the bike is reacting well but I don't think it is so much above the rest. In the past we have seen that our bike is good and fast, but what is important in the championship is not what happens in one circuit, but in many. In some areas, our bike is better and in some other area, other bikes are better. In the end, I think that overall balance is the important thing".

What can you say about the following three components:

Clutch: "I haven't test anything new on that area".

Engine brake: "We've been trying to improve. Compared with the Ducati, Casey [Stoner] says the bike is very different in that area and he seems not to be as comfortable as before, so we will try to use his experience to improve the bike. This way we will be able to brake before at the entrance of the corners and that will let us improve our lap times".

New suspension: "We have tested them on several occasions and they still don't give the 100%, but they have a lot of potential. They allow us to improve the braking an traction, but they also give us a little more rebound. I suppose that, with time, we will be able to use them".