November 16, 2018, Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia. Dani Pedrosa crossed the finish line in fifth and drove his last race as an official driver. At the age of 33 he retired with an outstanding record, graced by three world titles in the extinct 125cc and 250cc displacements, but with the immense problem of failing to make it in the MotoGP class, where he finished second . three times and he achieved a total of 31 victories. No one in history had won so many victories without becoming a champion. But instead of hanging up his overalls, Dani Pedrosa traded the spotlight on the grid for a much shadowier job as a KTM tester. The aim was to develop the young Austrian MotoGP project and one day come face to face with Honda, Yamaha and Ducati. Prior to 2019 KTM had only achieved one podium finish, since then they have racked up eight wins and are already regarded as a key player in the championship. Although KTM has actively and passively tried to get Pedrosa back on the grid as a regular rider, the man from Castellar del Vallés has always opted for his new life as a tester, away from the pressures of racing every weekend. years as a commentator on DAZN. He had already made a foray as a ‘wild card’ in Austria 2021 where he finished tenth in the race; but as he said on Thursday there was another movie this weekend because Jerez is the most gritty circuit for any national driver. Maybe that explains how to reach out and kiss the saint. That’s what Pedrosa de Jerez did this Friday, leading the first MotoGP practice of the day. “I don’t know how to explain it. For me it was a bonus to be here with the atmosphere of Jerez and the love that the fans show me”. were it not for the fact that in the second practice of the day the two Aprilias of Aleix Espargaró and Maverick Viñales were so well matched that they set the best time from Friday. -circus Isaac Asenjo Long Lap Penalty, Pecco Bagnaia, Sprint or positive confirmation… the races of the motorcycle world championship are full of neologisms and proper names that you have to know to know what they have in common. It happens in every race that Pedrosa comes in third place ended up not wiping the smile off his face when he spoke to the media two hours later: “It was a lot of fun for me and for my team. The ‘Test Team’ is hardly seen or heard. You don’t even know how many hours they work… So it was an incredible moment for them as well». A relative surprise Pedrosa’s first place in the first practice session of the day left almost everyone speechless, but it didn’t surprise his own rivals too much. “It surprised me less than everyone else, but of course it is surprising that he can drive so fast. For me it is without a doubt a ‘top 3’ in motorcycle history, and it says a lot that a 38 year old man who is at home, without the rhythm of the competition, without above all, and most importantly, that hunger that we now have to win, after we’ve won so much, and still come here with a KTM and do what he’s done and how fast he’s gone… It’s unbelievable”. Aleix Espargaró’s speech was echoed by virtually the entire MotoGP grid. Everyone knows about his innate talent for going fast on a motorcycle, but what was not expected was his ambition after so many years without racing. Looking ahead to Saturday, his performance raises more doubts since the format of the weekend has been changed this year. He has a lot of work ahead of him with time practice in the morning and sprint race in the afternoon. Unfamiliar territory for Pedrosa. “I’ve only seen it on TV and I thought it was a really fun race, but from what I’ve heard from the drivers it looks like we’re going to war, so we’ll see what I think.” No one expected a return from Pedrosa like the one in Jerez, so why not keep dreaming?
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
