Pedrosa uncertain if test gains will work in Austria

Dani Pedrosa says he won’t know if Repsol Honda bike gains from the Brno test will work until the Austrian MotoGP race.

Pedrosa is enduring his longest podium drought since his rookie 2001 grand prix season but showed a strong return to form at the Brno test having spent large chunks of the track time at the top of the times before dropping down to third late on – just 0.190s off team-mate Marc Marquez.

Pedrosa uncertain if test gains will work in Austria

Dani Pedrosa says he won’t know if Repsol Honda bike gains from the Brno test will work until the Austrian MotoGP race.

Pedrosa is enduring his longest podium drought since his rookie 2001 grand prix season but showed a strong return to form at the Brno test having spent large chunks of the track time at the top of the times before dropping down to third late on – just 0.190s off team-mate Marc Marquez.

Speaking directly after the test Pedrosa played down improvements linking it to track conditions and feels any improvements can only be considered if the same results appear during the Austrian race weekend.

“A day of testing after the Czech Grand Prix gave us the chance to work on our bike setup, to try and sort out the issues we’ve experienced in the recent races,” Pedrosa said. “We were able to be fast and consistent, and now we’ll see if that was down to the better track conditions, or if the changes we made there have actually improved our base setup.”

Pedrosa is also eager to understand the new Michelin rear tyre available for the ‘special’ characterises of the Spielberg circuit, while early weather forecasts show a strong threat of rain impacting the race weekend.

“The Red Bull Ring will be good to check that, as it’s usually a demanding track for us, so to have a good feeling there would be very important,” he said. “We’ll also have a special Michelin rear tyre there, so we’ll see how it goes putting everything together. Weather will also be a key for the race.”

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