MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa announces his retirement

Dani Pedrosa has announced that he will end his racing career at the end of the 2018 MotoGP season, stepping down after thirteen seasons in the premier class with the Repsol Honda squad.

Rumoured at since MCN reported that his talks with the new satellite Petronas Yamaha squad had ended, he announced the news at a special press conference today ahead of this weekend’s German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring.

Admitting that the decision wasn’t one that he had made lightly, the three-time world champion nonetheless says that now is the right time for him to step down. 

“This is a decision that I’ve been thinking about for a long time, and it’s been a hard one to make because this is the sport that I love. But despite having good opportunities to continue racing, I don’t feel like I’m racing as intensively as I was before. I have different priorities in my life now.

“I’m thankful to have had these opportunities, and it’s been an amazing life to be able to race for so long. I can say that I’ve achieved way more than I ever expected, and I’m very proud of what I did in the sport.”

He was joined on stage by MotoGP boss Carmelo Ezpeleta, who confirmed that the Spaniard will be inducted into the MotoGP Hall of Fame at his final race at Valencia in November.