expected for the participation of Dani Pedrosa as Guest driver at the Spanish GP next weekend is big. And this despite the fact that he ended his career as a pilot five years ago -2018-, today the little Catalan pilot still has a legion of loyal followers. Followers have now made the discussion about the options Pedrosa may need to achieve a good result in Jerez a trending topic on social networks.
Because despite being out of racing for four seasons and returning at a time when the differences between the top ten in MotoGP were measured in tenths of a second, no one dared to predict that Dani would not be in running for a good result.
The previous ones
The first of the retired pilots who decided to put on their overalls again makes the phrase ‘the second part not so good’ a good one. The most recent case is that of Andrea Dovizioso, three-time MotoGP world runner-up, who after announcing his retirement at the end of the 2020 season, eight months later accepted an offer to return to the World Championship. A return that resulted in massive disappointment, causing him to retire permanently in mid-2022.
The experience of seven gibernau in this sense, it is not better. His first ‘I quit’ after 2006 was canceled when he decided to return in 2009. A disappointing return on all levels. Also in his case the season did not finish, retiring for the second time in the middle of the season. In 2019, ten years after his first ‘it’s over for me’, Gibernau returned to GGPP to run the Moto E Cup within the group dand site pons. At the end of the season, Sete retired for the third time, in what, for now, appears to be the final one.
Pedrosa’s situation is different from that of Dovizioso or Gibernau in their time. On the one hand, Dani came back as a wild card, that is, only to do the Jerez race; second, number KTM test rider, Pedrosa hasn’t lost his habit of riding MotoGP; and thirdly, Dani has thoroughly prepared this race by shooting in Jerez as the championship enters America making his tour of that continent.
And there is a fourth factor that makes a high risk ‘against’ Pedrosa: his statistics at the Jerez circuit.
Pedrosa’s numbers at Jerez
Dani Pedrosa rode 21 times on the Andalusian circuit, 13 of them as a MotoGP rider. His three wins there at first seem like normal baggage, but when you calculate the podium percentages -83%-, the pole positions -5- or the times he started on the front row of the grid -83 %- too, perspective changes.
It is true that in his time the differences between pilots were measured in seconds and half seconds, and not in tenths like today. It is also true that Pedrosa lost his habit of sharing the track with other riders, surrounded by motorcycles and aggressive competitors, but the phrase ‘Dani is Dani’ gains special depth when linked to circuit of Jerez.
What can Dani Pedrosa do next weekend? They tell me that in the last training sessions he did in Jerez he was fast and they also assure me that Pedrosa clearly does not want to go out as a trooper. But it’s one thing to ride a circuit alone, and quite another to do it surrounded by riders with the level of intensity that now reigns in MotoGP. On the other hand, as a test pilot for KTMPedrosa’s mission is to reach the finish line to generate the information for engineers that they need to continue to evolve motorcycles.
Finishing in the top 10 would be a great result; better yet, a miracle. In any case, Pedrosa will have the unconditional support of a packed Jerez who will let him know the admiration that is felt for him… It will be nice to measure the decibels of the public at Dani’s speed.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
