Dani Pedrosa targets home win in Valencia

Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa is hoping he can claim a second successive Valencia victory this weekend to end the 2008 MotoGP campaign on a high.

The Spaniard, who has won half of his premier class races on home soil, finished second behind Valentino Rossi in yesterday’s scorching hot Sepang GP in Malaysia.

But he’s hoping to register his maiden Bridgestone victory this Sunday having clinched third in the championship in Malaysia.

The 23-year-old said: “I am really looking forward to Valencia. There will be many Spanish fans there and the Spanish crowd want a Spanish winner! The circuit is quite short but it’s a great track for the fans because they can see the whole lap.

“he place is laid out a bit like a stadium, so the atmosphere is fantastic, especially since it’s the last race of the year. I especially enjoy this race, it’s always great to ride in front of so many Spanish fans, you can really feel their support. The track is dominated by left-handers, so the left side of the tyres have quite a hard time.

“here are a lot of corners in quite a short lap with quite a few changes of direction, so it is very important to have an agile bike. You need to vary your riding style around this track, adjusting your technique according to each corner. Rear grip plays a crucial role, especially edge grip.

“The conditions are quite cool, so we usually go for intermediate compound tyres.”