Pedrosa relieved to put "horrible" 2016 behind him

Dani Pedrosa admits he is relieved to put what he terms as a "horrible" 2016 MotoGP campaign behind him.

In terms of statistics, this has been Pedrosa's worst season since he made his debut in the MotoGP championship in 2006.

After suffering in Valencia his second DNF of 2016, his points tally stopped at 155, a figure that left him in sixth place in the standings - 143 behind champion Marc Marquez, his teammate at the works Honda team.

Despite his difficult season, Pedrosa was still able to keep alive his record of winning at least one race per year with his victory at Misano, one of three trips to the podium all year.

The year was a bitter pill to swallow for the Spaniard, who was very fast at the end of 2015 (he won two of the last four races) and who, unfortunately for him, ran into difficulties with Michelin's tyres.

The Catalan, because of his low weight (below 60kg), was one of the riders who were most affected when the French manufacturer made its tyres harder as a counter-measure following the scares with Loris Baz and Scott Redding, whose rear tyres delaminated.

"It has been a very difficult season, where I didn't find my place. I have finished very few races and a lot of them in low positions," said Pedrosa. "I've had bumps before, but they were at specific moments.

"This time it has been more constant. There isn't a single reason, but it's obvious that I struggled more to adapt to the tyres. Michelin will also have more experience in 2017 and will do fewer experiments.

"The most important thing is the feeling, knowing that you can perform on the bike. Sometimes I had a good feeling, like at Misano, but other times it was horrible."

Next season, Pedrosa will have a new chief mechanic in the form of Giacomo Guidotti, who spent 2016 alongside Scott Redding at Pramac Ducati.

The Spaniard's current crew chief, Ramon Aurin, will move across to Jack Miller's garage.

More games: friv

Aragon MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa leads all-Honda top three in practice

Dani Pedrosa led championship leader Marc Marquez and Cal Crutchlow in an all-Honda top three in second practice for MotoGP's Aragon Grand Prix.

Misano winner Pedrosa led the way entering the final phase of the session with a 1m48.860s that was 0.355 seconds clear of the field.

Marquez moved into second place and then went fastest with a 1m48.494s with seven minutes remaining, but Pedrosa had more pace to come.

He reclaimed top spot in the final 90 seconds with a time of 1m48.483s and improved again after the chequered flag to a 1m48.429s.

It was enough to finish the session 0.065s faster than Marquez, while Crutchlow was also within 0.081s of Pedrosa, after improving twice inside the final five minutes.

Valentino Rossi was fourth and 0.240s behind Pedrosa, while his Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo - chasing three consecutive Aragon wins - was a quiet seventh and 0.485s off the pace, having been outside the top 10 when the chequered flag was shown.

Pol Espargaro was fifth fastest despite crashing his Tech3 Yamaha at Turn 2, moments before brother Aleix Espargaro did the same on his Suzuki.

Maverick Vinales was the lead Suzuki in the order in sixth, while Lorenzo, Hector Barbera, Danilo Petrucci and Andrea Dovizioso rounded out the top 10.

Dovizioso's factory Ducati team-mate Andrea Iannone has been ruled out of the weekend due to the back injury he sustained at Misano, and has been replaced by Michele Pirro - who wound up 15th.

Alex Lowes also crashed at Turn 2, in the closing moments, and wound up 20th, ahead of the returning Nicky Hayden.

PRACTICE TWO TIMES:

POS	RIDER	TEAM	GAP	LAPS
1	Dani Pedrosa	Honda	1m48.429s	18
2	Marc Marquez	Honda	0.065s	19
3	Cal Crutchlow	LCR Honda	0.081s	18
4	Valentino Rossi	Yamaha	0.240s	20
5	Pol Espargaro	Tech3 Yamaha	0.320s	14
6	Maverick Vinales	Suzuki	0.457s	19
7	Jorge Lorenzo	Yamaha	0.485s	16
8	Hector Barbera	Avintia Ducati	0.541s	18
9	Danilo Petrucci	Pramac Ducati	0.636s	18
10	Andrea Dovizioso	Ducati	0.699s	18
11	Aleix Espargaro	Suzuki	0.748s	15
12	Yonny Hernandez	Aspar Ducati	0.814s	18
13	Stefan Bradl	Aprilia	0.869s	18
14	Alvaro Bautista	Aprilia	0.872s	18
15	Michele Pirro	Ducati	1.249s	18
16	Scott Redding	Pramac Ducati	1.251s	16
17	Eugene Laverty	Aspar Ducati	1.684s	13
18	Tito Rabat	Marc VDS Honda	2.220s	21
19	Loris Baz	Avintia Ducati	2.511s	16
20	Alex Lowes	Tech3 Yamaha	2.559s	16
21	Nicky Hayden	Marc VDS Honda	2.563s	17

Ride the Red Bull Ring like a MotoGP star

MotoGP is about to call on the Red Bull Ring in Austria. See how the track looks at top speed.

The 2016 MotoGP season is halfway through, and kicking off the second half will be the Austrian round at the Red Bull Ring.

It's a new track on the calendar this year, and while the MotoGP riders tested there recently, fans have not seen much in the way of action on the layout.

Fortunately for us, we have some exclusive on-board footage thanks to Repsol Honda MotoGP riders Marc Márquezand Dani Pedrosa. Just watch the video above to get a rider's view of the track.

MotoGP, Marquez, Lorenzo and Rossi: three profs taking the Assen test

The Dutch race will take place on Sunday for the first time. Valentino wants to close the gap, the Spaniards want to win.

Everything has been said and written about Assen, the track isn't what it once was, there is no longer the traditional Saturday race... Despite all this though, the Dutch track (almost) always manages to pull off spectacular races that are unpredictable right to the final chicane.

This year there will be three big names battling it out, in the shape of Marquez, Lorenzo and Rossi. We list them in order of their championship positions, with Marc currently leading, 10 points ahead of Jorge and 22 ahead of Valentino. Assen was the setting for a much talked about duel last season, where the Doctor won after a controversial cutting of the chicane.

Putting past controversies aside, the Italian and the Spaniard are experts around this particular track and Marc is looking forward to the Dutch round because his Honda should have less trouble on what is a flowing track with no low-speed acceleration required. Marquez wants to get back to winning ways, having not won a race since Texas. While it's good to manage the races effectively, to win the title you can't always be on the defence.

One who's sure to be on the attack is Valentino, at one of his best tracks, where he won in 2013 after a fast of more than two years. Since then, he's won two out of the three GPs, which says a lot about the competitiveness of the Rossi-Yamaha pairing in Holland. Barcelona has moved him back up the classification and to further close the gap he needs to finish on top.

Lorenzo too, though he's never really proved to be unbeatable at Assen. His last win dates back to 2010, after which he scored podium finishes right up until last year. But Jorge shouldn't be underestimated because the Majorcan is someone who bounces back quickly and hits hard when you least expect it

A little like Pedrosa, the outsider. In truth Dani has never won at Assen in MotoGP, and only once in 125, back in 2002. The Spaniard is struggling with both the bike and particularly the tyres this season, so the performance of the Michelins will make all the difference in his case.

Lastly, Ducati, whose only win in The Netherlands was with Stoner. In recent races the GP16 hasn't exactly shone and Assen isn't a track that particularly suits its characteristics, but the Desmosedici nevertheless needs to prove that it is competitive on all surfaces. Iannone will start last after receiving a penalty at Barcelona, Dovizioso will need to find that certain something that he's been missing.

The Dutch GP won't be boring that's for sure.

Dani Pedrosa on why he’s the faithful type

Exclusive: Fresh from signing a new deal, and ready for his 250th GP, Pedrosa talks to RedBull.com.

Dani Pedrosa is set to pass a career milestone this weekend, as he gets ready for his 250th GP start at Mugello.

There'll be plenty more starts to come too, as confirmed by the news this week that the Spaniard has re-signed to continue with the Repsol Honda team for another two years.

On the eve of the Italian GP, RedBull.com sat down for a chat with Dani…

Congratulations on renewing with Honda. How did you come to make the decision?
Because this is a strong team that's still one of the strongest, even when it’s not in its best moment. I know the whole team very well, I feel at ease with them and I’m very happy with the decision I’ve made.

There’s been speculation for weeks over a switch to KTM, even Yamaha…

It was all true and they were all very interesting options, but I weighed everything up and I believe staying [with Honda] was the best choice for me. You could say I’m the faithful type!

You’ve won 28 MotoGP races, more than the likes of Wayne Rainey, Kevin Schwantz and Kenny Roberts, but when will a title come?

To win the championship you need everything to go well. I had a couple of good seasons in which I could’ve done it, but in the end something always went wrong. These things come when they come. I’ll keep trying.

What’s your strength? Concentration?Yes, although I must say it’s difficult to always achieve that. At the beginning it’s very natural, but then it’s something you need to train, as with the physical side of things.

You’ve got a very ‘zen’ way of approaching the sport…Yes, but I have to do a lot of work on the physical preparation side, because I’m very small for these bikes. But I also give thought to the mental side too.

Have you got any regrets?

Accidents. The most annoying was the one at Misano [2012], when I could've won the World Championship.

What are your thoughts on Michelin?I think it’s still difficult for them to create the perfect tyre for all tracks, for all bikes, and especially given how few tests there are. Where the new electronics use the tyres up faster, the old [electronics] allowed more control and for them [Michelin] it would’ve been easier, I think.

What’s your relationship with Marc Márquez like?Good, but he's a rival, my main rival. It’s a tricky situation. We’ve seen what happened between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg recently [in F1]. I get along with Marc, but I want to beat him.

Take Casey Stoner and Marc Márquez. What’s the key difference between them?They’re very different but both very strong. Stoner was much more focused on himself, Marc’s very strong on the track, but he also has an eye on what the others are doing.

What makes you proudest about your career to date?To have done so many things that other people thought I wouldn’t be able to; for example, my path in MotoGP. I have to say I had my own doubts at the start, but in the end I can say I’ve overcome them.

Keep up with how Dani Pedrosa marks his 250th start and other news from Mugello by checking RedBull.com for the latest MotoGP updates.

MotoGP Le Mans: Keeping Pedrosa, Marquez is a ‘priority’ for Honda Team Principal

Repsol Honda Team Principal Livio Suppo has today stated that he would like both Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez to remain in his team for next season. Reports in the media have suggested that Pedrosa could make a move to the Movistar Yamaha garage for 2017.

Meanwhile Maverick Vinales has also been linked to the vacant Yamaha seat, but reports have also emerged that Suzuki may have retained the services of the rider for another year. But it is expected that news of Vinales future in MotoGP will be revealed soon.

With rumours surrounding the paddock concerning Pedrosa’s future, and possible interest with Yamaha, Suppo is just concentrating on the team’s aims for 2017, which include both of his current rider’s. He has spoken to Pedrosa and his manager who have told him that their priority is to remain with the Repsol team.

“Our priority is to renew with Dani, as well as of course with Marc. At the moment Dani and his manager told us their priority is to remain so I trust them and I think it is rumours,” said Suppo at the track today.

“We know the value of Dani and we know the team with Dani and Marc is a very balanced and competitive team. In the end it is always the rider’s decision, if he needs to find new motivation after many years with Honda try to find another opportunity I would understand, but at the moment it doesn’t sound like this. [When asked if his ideal line-up for next year would be the existing line up] yes, yes.”

Dani Pedrosa to trial team-mate Marc Marquez's set-up in Qatar

Dani Pedrosa will explore the set-up direction Honda team-mate Marc Marquez found in the final hour of MotoGP pre-season testing in Qatar this weekend.

Honda had a mixed pre-season, following its 2015 handling woes, but after two tough days to start the final test at the scene of the season opener, Marquez left feeling like he could "see the light".

Pedrosa was less positive, and admitted that he felt "behind" heading into the new season, but hopes what Marquez tried a fortnight ago will prove beneficial.

"I think during the whole pre-season we have been struggling a little bit with the settings in general for different reasons," he said.

"I would say in the laptimes we were not competitive.

"But it looks like Marc, together with the team and myself - at the end I couldn't ride, I had a lack of tyres - but he could test at the end and do some improvements with some different things on the bike.

"So we are going to try as well, kind of this solution.

"Obviously our setting and riding style is not the same, but the tendency, what we need to do when the bike is trying to make the tyres and the electronics work together with our bike, that is why we are going to try the similar direction."

FIRST THREE RACES KEY

Marquez has cautioned that the leading factory riders could find themselves in the bottom half of the top 10 this year, and admits he is not completely sure where Honda sits in the pecking order.

While Jorge Lorenzo was 0.516 seconds clear at the top of the final day of testing, that same margin covered second to ninth in the order.

He says a clearer picture will emerge after this weekend's season opener, and next month's flyaways before the first European race at Jerez.

"In the [Qatar] test it was amazing, how close were the times, and I think for this race all of the times will be really, really close," he said.

"Because we did the test here, everybody has a good pace, a good set-up. It will be nice.

"Then we go to Argentina, to Austin, there we will see more the difference, where we are, we must start in a good way."