Dani Pedrosa confirms Phillip Island return

Dani Pedrosa will be back in action at Phillip Island this weekend, the Repsol Honda rider confident his left shoulder is strong enough for him to compete in the Australian MotoGP race.

Pedrosa missed the Japan and Malaysia races after badly breaking his left collarbone in a crash during practice at the Twin Ring Motegi earlier this month.

The spill, caused by a throttle malfunction on his factory Honda RC212V, ended his slim title hopes and compatriot Jorge Lorenzo clinched his maiden MotoGP crown at Sepang last weekend.

The 25-year-old though will be back at the spectacular Phillip Island circuit this weekend for the last of three back-to-back flyaway races.

The triple world champion said: “It was hard to take the decision to not go to Malaysia, but after another week I feel it was the right thing to do because during these days my condition has improved quite a lot.

“So I’m looking forward to getting to Australia and finding out how I feel on the bike. I will arrive at Phillip Island on Wednesday to have some time to recover from the flight and rest a little bit.

“I know it will be tough because Phillip Island is a very demanding track and also the weather conditions can play a big part, but I really believe it’s time to come back with my team and try to return to the high level of performance we had before the crash in Japan.

“After the operation I began rehabilitation immediately. The surgery was very successful and the plate was well fixed, so the main problem was not the collarbone but the stiffness in my neck and all around my shoulders.

“I’ve been having massage and doing exercises with my physiotherapist and I will keep this up in Australia. The championship is decided, but for us it’s still not over. The target now is to retain second place in the standings and continue working on the bike so that we arrive in good shape for the winter tests, when we will start working for next year.”

Find out why Pedrosa had to abort plans to race in Sepang in tomorrow’s issue of MCN.