When Dani Pedrosa started to fade during last weekend’s Qatar GP to be overtaken first by Casey Stoner and then by Jorge Lorenzo, we thought that his Honda RC212V was having problems (talk of excessive fuel consumption had been bandied around, but Livio Suppo firmly denied that the Repsol Honda’s had these issues).
When Pedrosa got to the parc ferme we could clearly see that it was more a physical problem that had hampered him.
The Spaniard upon returning home immediately underwent medical checks (CAT and MRI scans) to see what underlying problem caused him to lose strength in his arm and the numbness, something that he had already faced at the end of last season after his collarbone injury.
Fortunately the tests revealed no vascular or nerve compressions, but only a stretch in the plexus that only needs time to heal, but with no mention of the exact recovery period.
With Motegi GP postponed, Pedrosa will have more days at his disposal to try to get in shape before taking on Jerez on April 3rd.
“I honestly didn’t expect my arm would react in this way because during pre-season I didn’t feel too much trouble and I thought the problem was solved,” said Pedrosa.
“However, I felt really bad in the Qatar race and was aware that the injury is not completely healed.
It was a shame because in Qatar I had a good feeling and until the second half of the race – which is when the pain started – I was really strong and I saw a realistic chance of winning.
I would be lying if I said I’m not disappointed because this year the bike is working very well and physically I feel good, but unfortunately this complication has arisen and I have nothing else to do but give my best until the injury heals completely”.