Jerez MotoGP reaction: Dani Pedrosa on top of the world after home win

Dani Pedrosa jumped to the top of the MotoGP world championship standings this afternoon after he produced a crushing start-to-finish victory in front of 131,000 home fans in Jerez.

And making his first Spanish MotoGP victory even more sweet was the fact that he humbled compatriot Jorge Lorenzo in front of the on-looking King Juan Carlos of Spain.

Pedrosa’s victory, which follows his third place in Qatar, gives him an early five-point lead in the championship over Lorenzo.

The Repsol Honda rider said: “This is my first MotoGP win at Jerez and I’m very happy about today’s performance because it comes after a difficult winter during which we couldn’t test so much after I crashed and broke my right hand in January.

”To score good results in two complicated races and lead the championship is very important. I got a good start, not spectacular like in Qatar, but effective, so I was able t o take the lead.

”I did my best, I focused on not making mistakes and I was able to manage the race all the way to the finish and get a win in front of the Spanish fans.

”The crowd gave me incredible support, I hope they enjoyed the race, and it was an honour to get my trophy from the King.

”Today we are happy but we know that we have to keep working because Yamaha and Ducati are very competitive.

”We stay here for two days testing that will be crucial in helping us continue development of the RC212V in preparation for the next races.”