Dani Pedrosa to ride at Laguna Seca

After consulting with doctors in Barcelona, factory Honda rider Dani Pedrosa has decided to try and ride in this weekend’s American GP at Laguna Seca.

Pedrosa suffered a broken index finger and tendon damage on his left hand when he spectacularly crashed out of the lead in last weekend’s wet German GP at the Sachsenring.

He has been undergoing treatment with Dr Xavier Mir in Spain and has decided to fly to California to try and ride his RC212V machine.

Pedrosa, who surrendered the lead in the championship to Yamaha rival Valentino Rossi last weekend, said: “In agreement with my doctor we have decided that I will fly to the US and I will do my best to ride this weekend.

“We know that it will not be easy and that we won’t know my exact situation until I get on the bike on Friday morning. This is a difficult time for me, of course, but my will is strong and if it is possible for me to ride the bike properly then I really want to ride.

“Laguna is a physically demanding track when you are 100 per cent, so it will be tough with my injuries, but I know I can count on the support of the people around me to get me in the best possible shape.

“Laguna is what I call an ‘old school’ circuit, with a lot of steep uphill and downhill sections. The fans are great there, very respectful of all the riders, so I would like to do my best for them. 

“We will see what we can do. I would like to thank everyone around me and also my fans for their support over the last few days.”