The Twin Ring Motegi circuit celebrates this year the 20th anniversary of its inauguration, and Dani Pedrosa the seventeenth anniversary of his first participation in a Grand Prix, which took place in Japan, at Suzuka, in 125 in 2001 (he finished ten -eighth on Honda). Since then, the Japanese manufacturer and the Spanish driver have had a great history together, with Dani taking his 274th GP start next Sunday, still on a Honda.
Currently fourth in the provisional World Championship standings, 54 points behind the leader and his teammate Marc Marquez, Dani is the driver who has so far obtained the best results in Motegi with 5 victories.
He also experienced difficult moments, such as his fall last year in FP2 which forced him to withdraw from the rest of the weekend. In 2010, it was a stuck throttle grip opened wide that caused him to fracture his left collarbone.
Dani Pedrosa has 5 wins at Motegi: 1 in 125 (2002), 1 in 250 (2004), and 3 in MotoGP (2011, 2012, 2015) – plus 5 additional podiums and 4 pole positions.
For Dani Pedrosa, “ I can't wait to race on the Honda National Circuit in Japan! Not only are the fans very special – they are incredibly passionate and in love with Honda and the sport, which makes you feel welcome – but also the circuit is awesome. »
“I had a good feeling with the track from the first time, when I was 15. It suits my riding style and I really like the track. Last year, unfortunately, I had a serious accident and suffered a serious injury, but I hope that this season we can continue the good momentum and have a good race. We will definitely give 100% to make it happen. »
Photos © Repsol, Red Bull, Honda Racing Corporation
