During the Silverstone GP we reported the rumors from the Spanish media that Dani Pedrosa would probably be re-signing with Repsol Honda and the announcement could be made during this weekend’s Assen GP, now that the Honda has been able convince Carmelo Ezpeleta to scrap the rookie rule (in favour of certain technical concessions that will be discussed during the Dutch GP weekend) and making way for Repsol’s newest fair haired wildchild, Marc Marquez.
However, Spanish website motocuatro.
com is speculating that Pedrosa will receive a contract all right, but it will include a substantial pay cut – almost three times less than his present salary – which could stop negotiations dead in its tracks, while the Spaniard’s management ponders over the offer and thinking it is insulting after all his loyal years, but this move could give HRC some extra breathing space and see if Pedrosa can actually win a race (his last victory was at Motegi last year) and give them time to eventually look around for another option, besides the ‘eternal promise,’ and that could even include Stefan Bradl and Alvaro Bautista, depending how their season pans out, with an eye also on the now highly popular Cal Crutchlow.
Pedrosa has spent the last seven seasons riding a factory Honda and in these past two had to concede the first rider status to Casey Stoner, but with the Australian set to retire at the end of the year, Marquez free to move directly to the factory team, Jorge Lorenzo off everyone’s shopping list after his two-year renewal with Yamaha, he’ll have a difficult decision to make, accept the substantial paycut and stay with the manufacturer that has cultivated him since his debut in grand prix racing and play second fiddle to a rookie or he could send Alberto Puig over to Yamaha (Ducati would be a suicide considering his riding style) and see if Ben Spies will getting the boot and offer himself as Jorge Lorenzo’s team mate, now that the two get along and give Yamaha another ‘dream team,’ at least for 2013.