MOTOGP » DANI PEDROSA
CAREER
Dani Pedrosa remains the only Honda rider to have ever won an 800cc grand prix and a superb start to the 2008 season saw the Spaniard take eight podiums from the first nine rounds - including two wins.
Pedrosa was at the top of the title chase when he crashed out of the lead of a wet German Grand Prix, round ten of 18, handing the advantage back to Valentino Rossi.
The accident marked the start of a difficult second half of the season for the Spaniard, when he was also associated, directly or indirectly, with off-track controversy.
A loss of faith in his Michelin tyres saw Pedrosa controversially switch to Bridgestones for the final five rounds - an unprecedented move since the start of the four-stroke era - but he quelled the criticism by taking three podiums and one pole on the Japanese rubber.
However, late-season accusations made by Pedrosa's manager Alberto Puig against team-mate Nicky Hayden were much more damaging, causing fury amongst even neutral fans and - whilst Pedrosa was not involved in the comments - the Spaniard's position in the countdown was almost certainly influenced by the outrage caused.
Looking at Pedrosa's 2008 season in terms of pure statistics, Dani scored seven points more than last season - despite missing Laguna Seca due to injury - claimed three more podiums than in 2007 and the same amount of wins.
Nevertheless, Pedrosa scored a massive 93 points less during the second half of the 2008 season than he had during the first half - the biggest decline by any rider on the grid. Had Pedrosa repeated his 171 points from the first nine rounds during the last nine, then he would have finished just 31 points from Valentino Rossi.
Instead, Pedrosa's championship ranking slipped from second in 2007 to third in 2008, 124 points from Rossi, and he is now under pressure to match Hayden's achievement of becoming MotoGP world champion in his fourth season with Repsol Honda, in 2009.
Whilst a MotoGP title has so far eluded him, Pedrosa’s rise to the top has been as swift and clinical as that of Valentino Rossi. He took the 125cc crown in 2003 and back-to-back 250 titles in 2004 and 2005, becoming the youngest ever 250cc champion in the process.
Pedrosa instantly startled the MotoGP paddock by scoring an amazing second place in his first ever race for Repsol Honda at the start of the 2006 season. Dani's his first MotoGP win came just three rounds later, but his inexperience - and lack of confidence in the wet - cost him valuable points. Nevertheless, by the penultimate round in Portugal, Dani was one of five riders still in with a mathematical chance of the taking the world championship... until he infamously collided with team-mate Hayden.
Fiercely criticised in the press and angry at his own mistake, Pedrosa displayed both his immense speed and character at the final round at Valencia by allowing Hayden to pass and then dropping back to protect his team-mate from attacks from behind, thus helping Hayden to clinch the title.
Pedrosa himself finished the year a close fifth in the standings - with two wins, eight podiums and four pole positions to his credit - and wrapped up the Rookie of the Year title by a huge margin from talented riders such as Casey Stoner and Chris Vermeulen.
Dani was thus widely tipped as a title favourite for 2007, but it frustratingly took until the tail end of the season for the new Honda RC212V to be a match for the world championship winning combination of Stoner, Ducati and Bridgestone.
Pedrosa was then injured during pre-season testing for the 2008 season, while delays with Honda’s pneumatic valve engine forced the Repsol riders to use last year’s spring valve unit for the start of the season. Pedrosa will be aiming to avoid both such scenarios and start 2009 fit and healthy, and with competitive machinery.
Career highlights:- 1997 : 3rd Spanish Championship Pocket Bikes
- 1998 : Spanish Pocket Bike Champion
- 1999 : 8th MoviStar Activa Joven Honda Cup
- 2000 : 4th 125cc Spanish Championship Honda
- 2001 : 8th 125cc World Championship Honda
- 2002 : 3rd 125cc World Championship Honda - race wins 3
- 2003 : 125c World Champion Honda - race wins 5
- 2004 : 250cc World Champion Honda – race wins 7
- 2005 : 250cc World Champion Honda – race wins 8
- 2006 : 5th MotoGP World Championship – race wins 2
- 2007: 2nd MotoGP World Championship – race wins 2
- 2008: 3rd MotoGP World Championship – race wins 2
