If this start of the season is marked by the difficulties of a Jorge Lorenzo on the Ducati, it's nothing to say that, at Honda, we keep just as low a profile. It was not joy either under the HRC awning which recorded a sad statistic in Argentina: none of the official Honda drivers appeared in the leading trio in Qatar, nor at Termas de Rio Hondo. The last time such a situation occurred after the first two Grands Prix of a season was in 2000. Despite everything, Dani Pedrosa remains optimistic.
An optimism that the teammate of a Márquez who has not been on a podium since October last year will try to make it happen with a good result this weekend in Austin. The Texan route is appreciated by the Spaniard since he has two podiums taken there in 2013 and 2014. In 2015, he withdrew from Texas due to surgery on his forearms and, last year, he was the executioner in spite of himselfAndrea Dovizioso.
2017 is therefore an opportunity to restore its image: “ we had the opportunity to return to Europe and spend a few days there after the first two Grands Prix, which allowed me to rest and train. Now I can't wait to get my bike back to Austin » comments the one who is tenth overall, 39 points behind the leader Casa Particular in Viñales.
« It's a shame not to have been able to take points in Argentina, but we have to put that behind us and concentrate on the positive things. We now know more about our bike, we are working and making progress on its stability and the settings. We can still reach a milestone this weekend. I like the Austin layout so let's hope things go well for us in Texas ».
