So it turns out that the Gran Premio Red Bull de Espana was to be a masterclass by Repsol Honda rider, Dani Pedrosa. What a weekend it turned out to be for the Spaniard, who will have been able to hush the doubters when he dominated throughout the weekend fending off his 2016 MotoGP championship winning teammate, Marc Marquez.
Pedrosa tops the practice
Free Practice session 1, 2 and 3 saw Pedrosa on top as the fastest rider, then during Qualifying 2 he secured pole position with his lap time of 1:38.249. Come race day, he was not quickest during the morning warm-up but for him that did not matter.
The conditions were great come race day and the focus was tyres as available from Michelin with the Power Slicks was a soft, medium and hard compound for both the front and rear. Soft may have degraded far too quickly, and hard may not have provided enough grip, especially for someone as small as the likes of Pedrosa; he opted for the hard front and medium rear.
Fantastic start for Pedrosa
Pedrosa got a fantastic start and led the pack into the first corner. He remained at the front from start to finish, very much in control of everything he did and how he managed the race. His teammate was chasing him throughout, after he fended off a challenge from rookie Monster Yamaha Tech3 rider, Johann Zarco, he was able to try and challenge for the lead from the Spaniard.
But with the help of his crew on the pit wall, Pedrosa was aware of the small gap between him and Marquez and maintained it so it was between one and two seconds. Overcoming the challenges that the tyre degradation on the front threw at him, he responded if Marquez got too close.
Pedrosa pushed harder under pressure
But then when it looked like he may have his lead snatched, it turned out Pedrosa had something else up his leathers, not a wasp like Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda), but enough for an extra attack. He pushed harder despite the tyres, and ended up winning the race comfortable with a lead of 6.136 seconds over Marquez in second.
It was an emotional first win of the 2017 MotoGP season for Pedrosa which was the 3000th grand prix ever. His win on home turf was win number 30 for him in the MotoGP class, and his 53rd career win. For Repsol Honda, Pedrosa also earned the team’s 100th win and the 25 points collected means he is fourth in the championship with 52 points; 10 points behind championship leader, Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha).
It was especially clear how happy he was as he celebrated with the fans. He left his bike with the Marshalls and jumped on the tyre wall to bask in his triumph with the thousands that watched on in Jerez.
Pedrosa super happy with historical win in Jerez
Pedrosa spoke of how he was “super happy” with his win in Jerez, “a track [he] love[s] very much” and he was happy to do this in front of his family friends and “amazing fans”. He described how he was “enjoying this emotion this much” and how it felt it was “more than [he] would’ve done a few years ago, in a more ‘conscious’ way”.
He mentioned how he “had a great feeling all weekend” and he thought that the team “have worked so well” and that they are “getting better race by race” and so he was “happy for them as well”. Heading into the event he “knew [they] were in a position to have the race [they] actually did”.
Prior to the race he said that he “felt the tension a little” however he “remained concentrated and got away well at the start and just went for it”. When the race began he found “the track conditions were a bit worse” than Qualifying day, and that the “front was sliding quite a lot”.
Pedrosa talks tyres
Referring to the tyres, Pedrosa spoke of how he “chose the hard front because of today’s hard temperature” although he knew that the medium was his “favourite”. He speculated that the “pace probably would’ve been faster with the medium” but still he was “happy with [his] choice”.
He then described how when “Marc started to push” that they “started a little battle like yesterday in qualifying”. Pedrosa explained he knew Marquez was “very fast” however he was “determined to keep a gap on him”.
Knowing it was “easy to make a mistake” which may have been “to lose the front” he was aware that it was “a matter of staying on the limit without going over it”. Pedrosa declared it “went well” and it was describing the Gran Premio Red Bull de Espana as “marvellous” he feels they “must continue at this level”.
Pedrosa on the honour role
Pedrosa went on to describe how it was “a special honour to be the winner of the 3000th Grand Prix and be alongside riders like Mick Doohan and Angel Nieto” who won race numbers 2000 and 1000 respectively. It a well-deserved title for a rider who has been so smooth, calm and consistent… here’s to many more!