interview Pedrosa

theophil · **interview Pedrosa -** 21/02/2006, 08h59

MOTOGP News Saturday, 18th February 2006

Q&A: Dani Pedrosa.

Repsol Honda's MotoGP rookie Dani Pedrosa - already tipped by Valentino Rossi as one of his main 2006 challengers - completed a further 185 laps on his factory RCV at the third and final Sepang test, which concluded on Thursday.

Here, the reigning 250cc World Champion reviews his latest test, discuss the changes in his physical condition and riding style, specifies which tyres he's been using to set his impressive lap times, looks ahead to the upcoming IRTA tests and much more...

Q:
Firstly Dani, what do you think about the new Repsol Honda livery which you rode with for the first time this week?

Dani Pedrosa:
"I like it, especially that Repsol navy blue, I love that colour. The bike has a really good design, maybe the front part is the less convincing, because there was a larger blue surface before, but I like it very much in general terms, it's a beautiful bike."

Q:
Are you already starting to enjoy riding the bike?

Dani Pedrosa:
"Not yet, because I've never liked much preseason testing. It's a tedious job; you have to stop for long times, then you do some laps, go back to the garage, wait again, out again… I guess I'll enjoy much more once the races start, because the pace of races is much different."

Q:
What about your physical condition, is it better than in previous tests? Are your hands getting harder?

Dani Pedrosa:
"I haven't had much time to workout in the gym lately, because I've been travelling and testing a lot, you cannot ask your body for more, and we've been working intensively for the last 3 weeks, But, well, there's no better working out than what we actually do on the bike, because of the traction when opening the throttle and due to the effort when braking. You also have to apply a lot of force, especially when it moves, because it's much heavier than the 250cc I rode before. My hands are getting used to the effort, but the problem is that I think that there's much more humidity now compared to the last time we were here, and then your hands sweat a lot and the skin of the old callosities gets up. You have to be very careful to avoid wounds, because they hurt a lot and hinder you from grabbing the handlebar."

Q:
How has the latest three day test been here in Sepang; are you leaving satisfied?

Dani Pedrosa:
"Let's say that the first day and a half was very positive, we were able to do a lot of tests and draw conclusions. But the rest of the time has been a bit frustrating, the rain interrupted the tests several times and we were not able to do all the tyre tests we had planned and we couldn't do the race simulation we wanted to do either."

Q:
Your lap times have generally been very good in your recent tests (at Sepang III Dani was second fastest on day one and ended the test as the second fastest Honda, in fifth overall but just 0.23secs from the fastest time). Have you been using qualifying tyres or race tyres?

Dani Pedrosa:
"I've only been using race tyres on these three days. Since my arrival in MotoGP I have only tested on qualifying tyres one day, during the first tests we did here in Sepang, three weeks ago."

Q:
Now the overseas tests are over, the next tests are going to be in Spain: Three days in Barcelona and a further three in Jerez. Are you happy about riding your RCV in front of your home fans for the first time?

Dani Pedrosa:
"The truth is that I'm going to be a bit tired after so much travelling and lapping in Sepang. I look forward to changing the circuit, because lapping always on the same track ends-up being rather monotonous and you need to see and compare what happens in other places. Let's hope that everything works out fine during the next tests we have in Spain, because we are going to ride with much lower temperatures than here, so we'll see what happens."

Q:
Is the first IRTA test at Barcelona, in a couple of week's time, particularly important?

Dani Pedrosa:
"Yes, all remaining tests are important, because there's not much time left for the first race. Changing the circuit, we'll see new things regarding the behaviour of the bike; for example the tyres we're going to use will have a different compound and behaviour, so they're going to be completely new to me. The asphalt is also very different on these circuits and Michelin will surely bring over a lot of tyres to test. Then we'll go to Jerez and to weeks later we'll be racing the first GP there, so those tests are going to be very important as well."
Q:
In November, after the Valencia Grand Prix, you got off your 250cc bike and on to the Honda MotoGP machine for the first time. Since then, what changes have you gone through, both physically and in your riding style?

Dani Pedrosa:
"I have moved forward in both aspects, but it hasn't been a big progression. As regards the physical aspect, for example, I have managed to be a bit more rigid on the bike, not as soft as at the beginning, but I'm lacking muscular power, because I haven't had much time to work out between the holidays I had in December to rest and the January and February tests. And as regards my riding style, I have improved, but that's normal because you get used to the bike, the tyres and you feel more and more confident. But I don't think that it has been a spectacular evolution, just a little step forward."

Q:
Finally, are you planning to have a few days of rest in Barcelona or London now?

Dani Pedrosa:
"Well, for the moment neither one nor the other, because now I'm travelling to Japan, for almost one week. There's the Honda Party, a party at the start of the season attended by all Honda riders and drivers, to celebrate the start of the 2006 season. After Japan I have planned to spend some days in London for a rest and then I'll go to Barcelona for the tests."

ghostjoy · 21/02/2006, 09h58

c'est surement vachement intéressant, mais comme je lie pas un mot d'anglais?????
c'est moins simple...

theophil · 21/02/2006, 13h24

Citation:

Envoyé par ghostjoy

c'est surement vachement intéressant, mais comme je lie pas un mot d'anglais?????
c'est moins simple...

comme tout bon pilote va falloir t'y mettre !!!

theophil · 21/02/2006, 13h31

Pedrosa prend ses marques en MotoGP
Rencontre après les essais de Sepang [20/02/06 - 10:55]

Dani Pedrosa
rois dernières journées de travail à Sepang se sont achevées, la semaine dernière, sonnant la fin des essais privés de pré-saison.

La séance malaise a été largement perturbée par la pluie, ce qui n'a pas empêché Dani Pedrosa de boucler 185 tours de piste – soit plus de mille kilomètres.

Le pilote Repsol Honda a maintenant le regard tourné vers les tests IRTA qui débuteront le 3 mars prochain à Barcelone. Tout s'enchaînera ensuite très vite pour amener le peloton jusqu'au coup d'envoi du championnat du monde MotoGP 2006.

Comment le jeune Espagnol juge -t'il son évolution dans la catégorie reine ? Rencontre avec Pedrosa...

Commences-tu à prendre du plaisir sur la moto ?
« Pas encore. Je n'ai jamais trop apprécié les essais de pré-saison... c'est un travail fastidieux. Tu passes de longs moments aux stands, tu fais quelques tours, tu reviens au garage, tu attends encore, puis tu ressors... Je pense que je m'amuserai beaucoup plus quand les courses auront commencé. »

Comment est ta condition physique ?
« Je n'ai pas pu passer beaucoup de temps en salle, ces derniers temps, parce que j'ai beaucoup voyagé et testé. On ne peut pas demander plus au corps et nous avons travaillé intensément ces trois dernières semaines. Mais il n'y a pas de meilleur entraînement que ce que nous faisons actuellement sur la moto. »

Comment se sont passées les trois journées d'essais à Sepang ? Tu es satisfait ?
« Disons que la première journée et demie a été très positive. Nous avons pu tester beaucoup de choses et tirer des conclusions. Mais le reste du temps a été un peu frustrant. La pluie nous a interrompu plusieurs fois et nous n'avons pas pu effectuer tous les essais pneumatiques prévus, pas plus que la simulation de course. »

Tes chronos ont été globalement bons. As-tu roulé avec des pneus ‘qualif' ou uniquement ‘course' ?
« Je n'ai utilisé que des pneus ‘course'. Depuis mon arrivée en MotoGP, je n'ai monté les pneus qualif qu'une seule fois, lors de premiers essais de Sepang il y a trois semaines. »

Le rendez-vous de Barcelone, dans quelques semaines, est-il important ?
« Oui, tous les essais à venir sont importants parce qu'il ne reste pas beaucoup de temps avant la première course. En changeant de circuit, nous découvrirons d'autres aspects du comportement de la moto et nous allons monter des pneus différents, entièrement nouveaux pour moi. L'asphalte est aussi très différent sur ces circuits et Michelin va certainement apporter beaucoup de pneus à tester. »

En novembre, après le GP de Valencia, tu as échangé ta 250cc contre la Honda MotoGP. Depuis, comment ton physique et ton pilotage ont évolués ?
« J'ai progressé dans les deux domaines, mais ça n'a pas été une progression énorme. Côté physique, par exemple, j'ai réussi à être plus raide sur la moto mais je manque de puissance musculaire parce que je n'ai pas eu beaucoup de temps pour travailler entre les vacances et les essais de janvier et février. J'ai aussi amélioré mon style de pilotage mais c'est normal parce que je m'habitue à la moto et aux pneus et que je gagne en confiance. Je pense qu'il n'y a rien de spectaculaire, juste un petit pas en avant. »