Daniel Pedrosa completed 59 laps of the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Cheste today riding a Honda RC211V adapted as closely as possible to his characteristics as a reward for his 250cc World Championship success. The Telefónica MoviStar rider took to the track at 13.30h and did seven spells of laps with a best time of 1’35”24. Slightly later, at 17.00h, Pedrosa and the mechanics decided to end the test because the track temperatures had dropped and grip levels decreased. Dani, who got progressively quicker each time he went out onto the track, was extremely impressed by the MotoGP machine and expressed his gratitude to Honda for allowing him to enjoy “one of the most impressive experiences of my life”.

DANIEL PEDROSA: “It was a marvellous experience; Honda gave me a golden opportunity to test the MotoGP bike and I really enjoyed it. I was really curious about the bike and I was impressed by the power it has, yet at the same time how docile a four-stroke bike is – I’d never ridden one before. I’m really happy to have been able to ride the bike because I know that it is a privilege. Every time I went out I felt more comfortable with the bike and I tried to adapt it more each time I came back to the garage. At the start it’s difficult to control the power; you can’t keep on the throttle all the time, it’s impossible, and I didn’t want to crash. It slides around more than a 250 and it’s harder to get turned into the corners because it’s heavier. It was a really interesting test, I was really looking forward to it and it turned out to be one of the most impressive experiences of my life. It was a nice gift, although my plan is to stay in 250 next season. I need much more physical preparation to ride a MotoGP bike.”

DANI’S PROGRESS

1st spell (7 laps): 1’47”30

2nd spell (8 laps): 1’41”77

3rd spell (11 laps): 1’38”65

4th spell (10 laps): 1’36”15

5th spell (11 laps): 1’36”23

6th spell (10 laps): 1’35”24

7th spell (2 laps): -