Dani Pedrosa has confirmed that he will be racing at Qatar for the opener of the MotoGP season. Pedrosa has been sidelined since a crash while testing, which led to him needing surgery on his leg and arm. Speaking on his blog at repsol.com, the Spaniard announced that he had decided at the last minute to head to Losail, and to risk further injury by riding.
In his personal blog entry, Pedrosa announced that he felt he would be fit enough to race although cautioned that he was not 100%. The season opener poses a tough problem for Dani. If he chooses not to ride, he will automatically be behind his rivals by 25 points. If he does ride, he risks crashing and sustaining further injury, and further injury would likely sit Pedrosa out of more than one race.
Dani Pedrosa’s Full Post from His Blog:
A new season is about to start and we are still in contact thanks to my blog. As I know that many of you are waiting for the latest news concerning my participation in the first race of the season I think what I have to do first is to tell you what we have decided. In the end I am glad to be able to tell you that I will be able to ride in Qatar.
The last few weeks have been full of intense work so that I could race in Qatar, but I have to say that it has been possible thanks to the work that my physio and me have done together. The truth is that time has been very tight; when the practice was held in Jerez I could only bend the knee 90º. But over the last ten days it has been getting better and in the end, making use of the time right up to the last moment, we have decided to go to Qatar and race in the first round of the 2009 World Championship.
I am pleased that I can return to racing this weekend, but I have to tell you that I am not 100% fit, so I am well aware that I will be at a disadvantage in Qatar. Doctor Ferreira & Doctor Mir have done some great work on my knee and arm, but the time we had for my recovery, especially for my knee, was quite short. Even though I have made good use of the last two weeks and we have made good progress, I am aware that in Qatar I will only be able to win a few points, but points which at the end of the season could be very valuable. The overriding reason being not to begin the second race of the season with a gap of 25 points to make up on my rivals.
The pre-season was short for us, it is true, but good, it is what we have and something we cannot change. We still have work to do but my team is very used to working this way, so I am sure that they are going to help me a lot.
I have spent the last few weeks, since my operation, in Barcelona and Switzerland where I usually live. I was in Barcelona for a few days just after the operation, to recover and start walking, and when I was better I went to Switzerland. There I dedicated my time to my recovery, working in the gym that I have at the side of my house, and resting. The time was well-spent anmd very good for my preparation, because I am sure that this season is going to be a hard one.
I kept an eye on the practice sessions in Jerez and I saw my mechanics with a banner on my bike. The truth is that at times like these you really appreciate things like that, seeing how your team does not forget about you. I am pleased because I will be back with them in a couple of days. Of the practice, I would like to say that I thought Stoner was very strong, and Rossi trying to follow in his wake using all the things he had to hand. Lorenzo was up there with them too, and as I have mentioned before I think Kallio will have a very good first season in MotoGP. And over the weekend the two Suzukis also showed that that they are very competitive.
I have to say farewell to you now, but one last thing, I want to remind you all that we will be able to meet here every Monday on my blog once again. I hope I will be able to tell you interesting things and that you enjoy my commentaries. Ah… I forgot. Many of you sent me get-well messages via my blog and via the one that TVE created after my accident in Qatar. Well, I would like to say that I read a lot of them – from my blog and also those on the TVE blog when Marc Martín came to visit me in Switzerland to give me an interview – and I am really grateful for them all. To all of you and to those fans that have taken a special interest in me: thank you very much. We will see each other here, on my blog, every Monday. Don`t forget!
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