Dani Pedrosa stunned by his own speed at Spanish MotoGP: “I never expected it!”
The MotoGP legend stormed to the fastest run in the first Friday practice session at Jerez, rolling back the years and delighting fans who hav꧑e only seen him at one race weekend in the past four years.
It was a dream start to the 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Spanish MotoGP for the KTM test rider, who entered w🍎ith a wild๊card.
“It was an amazing feeling, for sure! And for the team, as well. And ꧟for the fans,” he said.
“I never expected it, it was a surprise!”
Have Pedros🐠a’s expectations now changed for Saturday and Sunday?
“No, absolutely no💎t. We have our marks and that’s where we will stick to. That’s it.”
Pedrosa’s 1m 🍬36.770s - which topped the timesheets♈ in P1 - was not bettered until the final 10 minutes of P2, when Maverick Vinales edged it.
Aleix Espargaro ended Friday fastest, ahead of Aprilia teammate Vinales, and w😼it🌠h Pedrosa ninth.
His prediction for Saturday’s sprint race? Pedrosa smiled: “I have no ide🌜a, honestly. I have many things to spe🦩ak to the team about.
“To see how the format goes, what the start procedure is. Things to check with the team. We are going step by stꦉep.”
It might continue beyond Friday but Pedrosa’s P1 run-out, through the corner named in his honour, was a wonderful m🔯oment.
The most successful rider in MotoGP history without a championship retired aꦿ🌼t the end of 2018 and, since then, raced just once, in 2021 in Austria.
“It’s great, a good feeling,” he reflected on hi🃏s Friday.
“Especially coming bꦉack to this amazing track with these magnifi🍸cent competitors.
“They have pushed the level so high.
“That♉’s why you have to be very focused every time.
“Th🌸is morning we had a good start, this afternoon it was more complicated due to track conditions.
“Maybe the heat, or the wind, was making the lap times slower. It was d༺ifficult to improve.
“Some riders improved, even in thಌe afternoon 💮with worse track conditions.
“I’m happy because we’re in𝓡side the top 10, th🔜at’s good news.
“Tomorrow we have a new thing to learn. I𝓰t’s something different, with qualify💮ing in the morning.
“It’s not an easy thin༺g, it’s tough on the🅘 riders.”
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a deꦡcade 🌄covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
