The Repsol rider will not take part in the Catalunya Grand Prix to recover from his fractured collarbone in France. Stoner, Dovizioso and Marc Márquez will try to keep the great level shown in Le Mans
After a short break of two weeks to gather strength, the Motorcycling World Championship will increase its pace to start a period with six races in eight weeks. For the first of them, the Repsol riders will compete at home. The Catalunya Grand Prix will be the first setting where they will try to keep the momentum after their brilliant performance in Le Mans, a race where Dani Pedrosa broke his right collarbone and the recovery time will prevent him from taking part in the round starting next Friday at the Catalunya Circuit.
After dominating the three days of the French Grand Prix, Casey Stoner arrives to a circuit where he has not got off the podium since 2007. He also arrives as the man to beat after his two victories in the four races held this year. A triumph that Andrea Dovizioso will also seek, as after fighting for victory here last season -until a crash took out all chances to finish in the first places- and finishing second a fortnight ago, he reaches the Spanish round in very good form.
The unknown factor of the Grand Prix was unveiled today by Dani Pedrosa, who after undergoing surgery just two weeks ago to fix his broken collarbone, ruled out competing in Montmeló to be able to continue with his recovery process. Despite trying to find any chance to compete in such a special round, in front of his fans, the rehabilitation showed that the fracture is not sufficiently consolidated yet. The evolution of his injury will allow to decide later the date he will return to competition.
A support that Marc Márquez will receive in the Moto2 class. The Repsol rider competes in front of his fans in the race closest to his home in Cervera -Lleida-. With a victory on his track record after four races, Márquez faces the round with his usual seriousness, as he knows how to keep his feet on the ground and keep the line of work he has been following during the season, which should allow him to be again among the fastest in the intermediate class.
Dani Pedrosa:
“After France, I had surgery to stabilize the fracture on my right collarbone and hoped to be ready for Barcelona. I pushed myself as best as I could but I feel that my collarbone is not yet ready. I think I must stop for a while and recover properly. Since early this year I’ve had many problems and operations and I really believe I must stop now and let this heal properly. I would love to be in Montmeló with all the fans that follow me but for me if I’m on track, I’m there to fight for victory and offer them a good race. I feel that is not possible at the moment and therefore the most sensible thing is not to compete. It is a big shame what happened. Despite all the problems I had earlier in the season, this year I felt very strong and I was aware that I could beat my opponents. I want to say thank you to you all for your support and hope to be back in full shape as soon as possible to continue giving my best”.
Andrea Dovizioso:
“I’m happy heading to the Catalunya Grand Prix after my second position at Le Mans. This is one of my favourite circuits, it suits my riding style and it’s a good track also for the Honda RC212V. It’s a long track with fast corners and it’s a great feeling when you find the right flow and link one turn with the next. I have always had good results here and after the podium achieved in the last race we arrive competitive and motivated to repeat a good performance. The atmosphere at this circuit is fantastic, there are always many spectators who are truly passionate. With the Catalunya GP starts a very demanding period of the season with 6 races in 8 weeks. Personally, I like having two races in a row because you keep working on the bike without a break and it’s good also as a rider as you spend more time on the bike. I’m very sorry for Dani and I hope his rehabilitation goes well”.
Casey Stoner:
“After such a great weekend in Le Mans I’m really looking forward to going to Barcelona, it’s one of the first Grand Prix tracks I rode on and I’ve always enjoyed it. It’s a very flowing track and the Spanish crowd are amazing. In the past Dani has proven our bike performs well there, so hopefully we can get there and find a reasonably good set up, fast and be competitive because we really need to start taking back some more points. I am very happy to hear that Dani’s operation went well and I hope that his recovery time is quick. It’s a shame he cannot be riding in his home race, but I really wish him a quick return back to track”.
Marc Márquez:
“This week we will compete at the Catalunya Circuit, which is probably the track where I have competed more times, because since the Catalunya Championships I did a lot of races. However, in Moto2 references are different and we will have to do a good job in the practice to get a good set-up and a good pace for the race. Last winter I was able to do some laps, just at the beginning of the preseason and if in 125cc it was a track I liked, I saw that in Moto2 it is even more fun. After the French Grand Prix we arrive with a lot of motivation, but we already talked with the team about the job we need to do and we will have to control that motivation so it does not betray us”.
