Turn one troubles end TT for Pedrosa and Dovizioso

Repsol Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso had looked capable of challenging for the podium at the Alice TT Assen, but neither of the two were able to take the chequered flag after falling victim to the historic track’s first corner. Two separate incidents left the factory team with a double DNF, and extended Honda’s winless streak by another race.

If there were positives to be drawn from round seven, the biggest one will have been that Pedrosa escaped unharmed from his early fall. He stood up straight away after lowsiding his RC212V, just after passing archrival Jorge Lorenzo.

“The good news is that I didn’t hurt myself in the fall and, considering my recent run of luck with injuries, this is a big relief,” said the Spaniard, who has been gradually coming off the painkillers taken for a cracked femur and missed a large chunk of preseason with various ailments.

“But of course I’m disappointed with the result today because, even though it’s unlikely I could have won the race, I was feeling strong on the bike again and believe I could have made the podium. My feeling on the machine this weekend has been much better and I have been able to ride close to my maximum potential, so I was quite confident coming into this race. I made a fast start and found a good rhythm, so the crash was very unexpected - for the whole weekend I had no warning this might happen.”

Teammate Dovizioso was in what has become his trademark fourth place, chasing down a rostrum finish, when he fell seven laps later. Like Pedrosa, the Italian walked away unharmed but frustrated.

“At the beginning the race was going well and I was lapping with a fast pace - the same as in the practice sessions. Fourth place was looking on the cards and I believe that would have been an achievable and a reasonable result for us, so I’m very disappointed about the crash at turn one,” Dovizioso revealed.

”I had a good start but I was trapped by a bunch of riders and it took me a few laps to get by them. Once I was past I was feeling quite comfortable, although I wasn’t sure I could catch Stoner. Then, while I was in the middle of the corner at the maximum lean and I lost the front. I wasn’t on the brakes when it happened - we have to lean a long way over in the middle of the turn and that’s when it caught me out.”

Both riders were using a new chassis for the Alice TT Assen, although only Dovizioso had put in extensive work with the frame in post-race testing in Barcelona. The two riders remain separated by just two points in fourth and fifth, respectively, in the overall standings.