A turn-six race incident on lap 18 prevented Dani Pedrosa from fighting for a podium finish at the MotoGP Spanish Grand prix. The incident also involved Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso. Dani escaped a heavy high-side without major injury, but he suffered a hard blow to his right hip. Today a doctor’s check-up decided he would drive in the Jerez test.
“I have a lot of pain in my right hip, which is very swollen at the moment. Regarding the race, of course, it’s a great pity. I was riding well and was able to keep a very good pace, even if I wasn’t totally comfortable with the acceleration, and making passes was difficult for me. I was just sticking to Dovi and Jorge, trying to see if I could conserve my tyres and improve my pace at the end of the race, or if they would make a mistake. Finally, they did, and they both went very wide. I kept the regular inside line, and the next thing I felt was a big hit, and I suffered a heavy high-side. Unfortunately, it ended up with the three of us crashing”, Pedrosa explained.
“I’m very sad and disappointed for all of us, as we were having a great race but ended with zero points, and also because all of us are used to a nice style of riding and didn’t deserve this result.
Pedrosa: Race Direction don’t seem to understand very well how to manage certain situations
“However, what makes me sadder and more disappointed is that I could see that the Race Direction don’t seem to understand very well how to manage these situations, and how to make decisions about things that happen on the track. I went to speak with them, just because I wanted to understand how they make decisions. In the end, there are many people who watch us, and many other riders who look at us as examples.”
“I asked them how they judge: Was I on the correct inside line? Yes. Were the other guys on the outside coming back from a mistake, re-joining the right line? Yes. So who has the preference in this case, the guy who is inside or those who are outside? The one on the inside. So, who was at fault? But I didn’t get an answer, only that they had already made their decision and that if I didn’t agree with it, which I don’t, to appeal against Jorge if I wanted. But I didn’t want that, as I don’t want Jorge to be penalized, only for them to understand correctly what is happening on track.”
When things go wrong… ?
THAT moment from the #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/fgHTPOpxpZ
— MotoGP™??? (@MotoGP) May 7, 2018
