Mugello MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa blasts Marco Simoncelli

Dani Pedrosa’s long awaited return to the MotoGP paddock in Mugello today saw the Spaniard launch a stinging attack on fellow factory Honda rider Marco Simoncelli.

Speaking at a packed pre-event press conference, the Repsol Honda rider vented his frustration at Simoncelli after their controversial collision during a fight for second place in the French Grand Prix left Pedrosa with a broken right collarbone.

The triple world champion has been out of action for nearly seven weeks and his 2011 title hopes were ended by Simoncelli’s aggressive overtake in Le Mans, which saw the San Carlo Gresini Honda rider condemned by the majority of the paddock.
There was always going to be tension this afternoon when the five riders walked into the conference room and it became apparent that Dorna had seated Pedrosa and Simoncelli next to each other.

The pair barely made eye contact at all but it was inevitable that the subject would turn to the Le Mans controversy.

And when it did, Pedrosa cut loose on Simoncelli and his aggressive strategy.
Pedrosa said: “If someone is still doubting this it’s unbelievable.  It is quite clear what he is showing on the track.  In Estoril he was laughing about if somebody will arrest him but maybe he needs this because on his head there is nothing but hair.”
Pedrosa also denied intense speculation that a supermoto training accident had delayed his comeback as the crash had further aggravated his damaged right shoulder.

Pedrosa had undergone surgery to pin and plate the collarbone immediately after the Le Mans crash but needed an additional operation two weeks ago when it was discovered a fragment of bone had worked loose.

But he denied that loose piece of bone had been dislodged in a supermoto crash and he added: “That’s not true. I explained this five times, in my blog and press release, how many times do you need this explained? I was doing my therapy and one small piece of the collarbone opened up.

“Every time I was doing any exercise the bone was moving and this was causing pain, so I was resting for a few days to see if it was something I did wrong but after two days the pain was the same. So we made some more analysis and we decided we had to fix it, so another surgery was necessary and after that I felt the collarbone already solid and I’m pretty happy about being more or less healthy and I can start my recovery and get back to training. . It is strange to be at home on Sunday’s when everybody is racing and you feel strange but I couldn’t be here, so I had to stay home and it has been a difficult time.”

Simoncelli wasn’t even asked for his views on Pedrosa’s comments when he volunteered a short response.

“The thing that he and his manager (Alberto Puig) said were stupid things and it is better not to speak with him and his manager,” said the former 250GP world champion.