HRC announce Pedrosa and Dovizioso renewals for two more years

The profile of the MotoGP grid for 2010 became clearer on Friday in the Czech Republic as HRC President Tetsuo Suzuki announced the continuation of Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso for two more years.

Mr. Suzuki confirmed that the two Repsol Honda riders will sign extensions to their contracts for the next two seasons.

The HRC President stated, “I'm very pleased to announce that we reached a basic agreement with Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso. Making this announcement now, in August, earlier than we usually do, will allow the riders to focus on the seven remaining races and also allows HRC to focus on the preparation for next season as early as possible.”

“Dani and Andrea are two young riders, they’re in good condition and are motivated. We’re convinced they can get good results in the second half of the season and next year. Both riders have been performing well with Honda since early in their career, winning races in the 125cc class, so we want to develop a competitive machine for two riders with a big potential.”

He continued, “We spoke with Lorenzo, but we eventually concluded that Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso would be the best line-up for us and there are no plans to provide another bike to Lorenzo.”

Meanwhile, the President also acknowledged that negotiations with Repsol to continue as the team’s main sponsor have reached an advanced stage, although a final agreement has still to be signed.

There were no announcements with regard to the Honda satellite teams’ 2010 line-ups as the confirmation of names for next year cannot be made until the respective deals are finalised. However, Suzuki reiterated HRC’s support for the recruitment of Marco Simoncelli for next year by the San Carlo Honda Gresini team.