Dani Pedrosa more confident for Motegi

Spaniard Dani Pedrosa is confident he can make more of an impression in next weekend’s Japanese GP after a low-key debut on Bridgestone tyres earlier this month in America.

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Hurricane Ike left the factory Honda rider languishing down in eighth place on his Bridgestone debut, but he reckons the information collected in Indy will prove valuable for the rest of the campaign.

“Indianapolis was an important weekend for us, with lots of work and with all kinds of different weather. That made it quite tough, but it did give us experience in different conditions, so we could learn about my new machine and tyres in both dry and wet conditions.

“I hope that we can use the data we gathered there to help us achieve a good result at Honda’s home race. I am feeling quite confident for the Japanese round. Motegi is one of those tracks that I like because the surface has good grip and not so many bumps.

“It is important to have good braking power and good acceleration from your machine, which means that the tyres are very important because you need to be able to brake late into the corners and accelerate strongly out of the corners, “said Pedrosa, who is hoping to secure a third win of the season in front of Honda management at Motegi.

He added: “My favourite section of the track is the middle bit, climbing the hill towards the highest point. To achieve a fast lap you need to get your braking points absolutely correct, and the final section is probably most important for a good lap time. It’s the kind of circuit where you need to use an aggressive riding style. “