Dani Pedrosa confident for Bridgestone debut

Dani Pedrosa believes he will be a much more competitive force in MotoGP now he will race on Bridgestone tyres.

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But he has played down his hopes of making an instant impact following his controversial move from Michelin after the last race in Misano.

Pedrosa goes into his Bridgestone debut this weekend in Indianapolis with only one day of testing under his belt, but he said: “In Misano we tried to adapt as much as possible and the final feeling was positive.

“The best thing at the test was we always improved. I was very careful at the start because I didn’t know the tyres, but I had my mind open to adapt in the best way. When you do a big change the thing you have to do is forget everything you know from before.

“But until I find the best combination with the bike I won’t be able to show the true performance.”

Pedrosa is aware that it took Yamaha rival Valentino Rossi time to gel with his YZR-M1 fitted on Bridgestone tyres earlier this season and the Repsol Honda rider added: “I think Valentino (Rossi) also had some problems in the first few races and he didn’t find the best way to balance the bike with the tyres immediately.

“Once he did though he started to be very competitive. My feeling is that I have a great motivation with this change and maybe it is a risk but it is something very important for me.”

Pedrosa will also run Honda’s pneumatic valve motor in America this weekend having completed a successful test on the engine in Misano.