Dani Pedrosa announces retirement ahead of German Grand Prix
In breaking news, Dani Pedrosa has decided to hang up his gloves and boots at the end of 2018 and retire from MotoGP. The Spanish rider was emotional in making his statements about moving on from the sport and also saying the words we all thought were coming “next year I won’t be competing in MotoGP”. It has been a very up and down career for Pedrosa who unfortunately never obtained a World Championship in MotoGP. However, he has been an incredible teammate and individual rider with some impressive victories, podiums and crashes. It is clear that Pedrosa had offers on the table though made his decision to move on and at the end of the season will be inducted into the MotoGP Legends Hall of Fame at Valencia. It was with great pleasure that Permanent Bureau formed by FIM President Vito Ippolito and Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta confirmed the honour after the retirement speech. A job well done by all to never forget baby Samurai. Carmelo Ezpeleta: “A World Champion on 125cc and 250cc machinery and one of the most successful riders we’ve ever had the pleasure of watching, Pedrosa has contributed an incredible amount to the world of motorcycle racing over a long and distinguished career in MotoGP.”
Pedrosa: "I would like to express how fortunate I feel to have had this experience and these opportunities in my life, it’s been an amazing life to have been racing for such an important team and in front of all the fans. I achieved way more than I expected and I’m very, very proud of what I’ve done in the sport. I’ve fulfilled my dream of becoming a racer and that’s something that I didn’t expect when I was a kid watching TV, watching riders in the World Championship. I would like to take this time to say thanks to Dorna and to Honda for giving me this opportunity way back in 1999, and to all my sponsors who’ve been with me throughout my career. I would like also to say thanks to my family, and to all the fans who supported me throughout my career and through the thick and thin, who helped me sending so many messages to overcome difficult things in the past.”
As we look forward to the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring, all eyes are now on Marc Marquez and whether anyone can beat the Spanish maestro. Marquez is untouchable at this event and it will take some serious courage and effort to beat him. “The target is to win” and this applies to at least six riders. Unlike Marquez who is aiming for nine in a row, many of the other contenders are just excited to get back on their bikes and give it their all. Rins wants more consistency, Rossi wants a smooth weekend, Marquez isn’t focusing on pressure, Vinales hopes for a good weekend with no issues, Dovi has a smile on his face and Jack is on a mission for more top tens in order to cement his strength as a Ducati rider. Out of everyone Marquez believes that the pressure which was on his shoulders has decreased. Talk about confident in his abilities no matter the circuit, weather or tyre allocation. Focal points: points, title, summer break and bringing home the goods for the entire team.
Rossi on the other hand knows that he is second though is fully aware Marquez is running away at the front. Rossi: “I’m second in the Championship but I’m already a bit far from Marc…but we have to concentrate race by race.” The Doctor is familiar with title pressure and is a nine times World Champion for a reason. Finishing strong before the summer break is vital and Yamaha will have their fingers crossed that Rossi can outperform the Honda and Ducati riders. In comparison, DesmoDovi has experienced a rough transition period in 2018 and has not been hitting his targets. Dovi: “Unfortunately we’ve had too many zeros, which is bad. I think we’re in a better situation than the past, so we have to keep working and improve a bit in how we manage the tyre because that’s not as good as last year, so we’ll focus on that”. The take away from Dovi’s messages are that the Ducati is working well, tyres are hit and miss and a strong mindset is everything. You have to attack and be at the front because the moment you start to disappear from the main battles is the moment you succumb to negativity. When you become a pessimist, nothing goes to plan and everything ends up crumbling from the inside. This is why athletes must remain on top of their goals no matter what results are achieved.
The time has come for the riders to get into gear and set off for practice, qualifying and the race. As they prepare to get into the tuck position with reduced visibility and race with passion, the fans are already lining the streets and ready to enjoy the action.
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