The Repsol Honda star currently lies 24 points behind
Valentino Rossi, so the single point earned for 15th place would be enough for Rossi to fend off his rival, but it's certain Pedrosa will be aiming for victory in front to keep the possibility of second place alive.
The 22-year-old from Barcelona, the only RC212V rider to win a race this year, has claimed pole position for the three races leading up to Valencia and was on the podium in Malaysia two weeks ago. His record at Valencia is also excellent, having taken the race win, pole position and fastest race lap on three previous occasions - in 2004 and 2005 in the 250cc class and in 2002 on the 125cc machine.
"Valencia is a home track for me and the atmosphere is always very special because of this, and also because it's the final race of the season," began Dani. "The motivation of everyone will be very high as it's the last chance to get a good result and finish the year on a high – and certainly my target will to win here, and also to enjoy the weekend.
"We've had great potential in recent races but usually one area or another has given us a problem, so I hope that this weekend everything can come together and we can get the reward I believe we deserve. The track layout itself is not one of my favourites of the year but I seem to have gone well here in the past and it's a circuit that I have a lot of confidence at.
"Combined with the welcome from the crowd, this makes it a really special occasion for me and I'm very much looking forward to the race. Let's hope we can give the fans something to cheer about," he concluded.
First practice at Valencia takes place on Friday morning.
