Focused mindsets in place for both Pedrosa and Dovizioso

Barely three weeks after completing the final pre-season Test at the Losail International Circuit, the MotoGP riders now return to the Qatar track for the much-anticipated opening Grand Prix of the 2010 season. Repsol Honda pair Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso are both in a purposeful mood as the opening practice session of the weekend – on Friday evening – draws ever closer.

For Pedrosa the pre-season has not gone as he would have wanted, but the fact the Spaniard arrives in Qatar injury free is something he is taking great confidence from. With work still to do on his factory RC212V prototype, last year’s third-placed Championship rider is in work mode ahead of the opening practice session.

“We will stay calm, be very focused and simply concentrate as hard as possible in the practice sessions in order to find a good setting for the race,” said Pedrosa. “Technically, this circuit requires a very precise bike set-up, with good agility and good straight-line speed – these two factors are very important at Losail.”

Drawing on previous experience Pedrosa, who enters his fifth season in the premier class this year, believes he can find the right level before Sunday’s race. He stated: “Two years ago we made an incredible step forward between the Test and the race weekend and we have to do it once again – we know it can happen. I’m starting the season without physical problems, which means that the situation is much better than in the past, so we will work hard and do the maximum to get the best result possible in Qatar. I fully trust the team around me and I also believe in myself, so I’m feeling positive going into this weekend.”

Team-mate Dovizioso returns to the track at which he set the third-fastest time of the final Test, and the Italian is determined to reproduce his consistent pace from three weeks ago after adjusting well to the chassis and swingarm updates introduced to the 2010 version of the RC212V.

“Me and the team are very motivated and happy with the work done in the pre-season. We have moved in the right direction and have seen a big improvement through Testing, and this gives us a lot of confidence for the start of the season,” he said. “On Friday we will start with the base setting from the last Test session we had here in Qatar a few weeks ago and work on it further through the course of the race weekend. The gap from us to the fastest riders has come down, but we still need to work really hard because we’re not close enough yet.”

Dovizioso continued: “The Qatar race is special and unique of course because it is at night. Having said that, once you get used to the floodlit circuit, it soon becomes ‘normal’ to race in these conditions. The thing to consider and to be careful about is the humidity, which is very high here at the time of the race.”