The Repsol Honda Team rider assesses the last tests in Malaysia
It started to rain, something quite usual at this time of the year in Malaysia and the day finished for Dani Pedrosa. Three further testing days, for the second time in Malaysia in two weeks, 185 laps around the Sepang circuit, 1.025 kms covered during the tests and his mind already set on the next tests, the first official tests of Dani’s new season, in early March, in Barcelona. Dani amuses himself taking pictures of his new bike, shooting details, trying different angles, close-up, zoom out.
What do you think about the new decoration of your bike, Dani?
‘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’.
Are you already starting to enjoy on the bike?
‘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’.
What about your physical condition, better than in previous races? Are your hands getting harder?
‘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’.
How have been the three test days here, in Sepang; are you leaving satisfied?
‘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’.
Your lap times have been very good in general terms. Have you been using qualifying tyres or did you test with the usual race tyres?
‘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’.
Once the tests far from Europe are over, the next dates are going to be in Spain: 3 days in Barcelona and further 3 in Jerez. Are you happy to be able to test at home, having your fans close to you, now that you’re on your RC211V?
‘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’.
Is the date in Barcelona, in a couple of week’s time, important?
‘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’.
In November, when the Comunitat Valenciana Grand Prix finished, you got off the 250cc bike and on the MotoGP Honda for the first time. Since then to now, after these tests in Sepang, what evolution have you gone through, both physically and in your riding style?
‘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’.
And now what; are you going to have some days of rest in Barcelona or in London?
‘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’.
