Pedrosa "fights through physical difficulties" in Le Mans

The Spaniard crossed the line in fifth place, getting his 2018 season back on track

After a luckless start to his 2018 campaign, Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) was happy to have completed the HJC Helmets Grand Prix de France without any further incidents, with the three-time World Champion crossing the line a solid fifth in Sunday’s race.

Pedrosa launched from tenth on the grid, after what he describes as a “really bad weekend” on his side of the garage. “I would say overall it wasn’t an excellent race, but it was a positive race. First thing is we recovered from a really bad weekend, struggling with the pace and struggling with the lap times. We were not that far at the end and I think, we recovered five positions, and starting from tenth is not so easy,” explained the Spaniard.

In the end, Pedrosa was only two seconds from a podium finish in Le Mans. Considering he’s still suffering from the right wrist injury Pedrosa sustained in Argentina’s race, plus the effects from the huge highside in the Jerez incident, a fifth place was a good result to get his season back on track. “Fighting through the physical difficulties, finishing the race, and we didn’t crash,” said a smiling Pedrosa. “There were many crashes over the weekend and in the race, and also coming from a crash in Argentina and Jerez… It was important to get some momentum. It was key just to finish the race.”

The number 26 now turns his attentions to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya test, and Round 6 at the Autodromo del Mugello circuit, where he’ll be hoping to arrive in better physical condition. “With the Barcelona test it’s mostly the surface, the surface and the layout because we are back to the faster one at the end of the last section. We'll see how I feel physically after the test... Expectations for Mugello? I hope to at least to arrive there in a better condition, and then start from there.”