Dani Pedrosa still not completely fit, Marquez raring to go at Indianapolis

MotoGP standings leader Marc Marquez is raring to go and take on the Indianapolis Speedway with his usual confidence, in the first of three back-to-back races (Indianapolis, Brno and Silverstone).

The Repsol Honda rookie has an excellent history at the Speedway with two wins in the lower classes, and even if he has never ridden there before on a MotoGP machine, we know by now that he absolutely has no problems learning track layouts.

The 20-year old conquered the extremely difficult Laguna Seca in one free practice, and later won the race, giving Valentino Rossi a taste of his own medicine at the corkscrew (Marquez even practiced several times running off track at the precise area - not that he will admit it).

“After a good break, where I’ve managed to relax a little and also do some training, I’m looking forward to getting back on track! It’s been good to have this time off to think about my first few months in MotoGP and reflect on my performances and what I’ve learnt but now I’m ready to get back on the bike! I like the Indianapolis track and I’m interested to see how the grip is on the Bridgestone tyres because it seems this has been an issue in the past. As usual, we will take our time in FP1 and try to find our feeling on the bike at this track and also after this Summer break, and hope for a good weekend!” said Marquez.

Dani Pedrosa also has a good track record at Indianapolis having won twice in the past (2012 and 2010). but the veteran rider is still not completely fit following his crash at the Sachsenring, which forced him to sit out the round. He finished in fifth place at Laguna Seca with a small frature to his collarbone, that was later diagnosed to be complete break - but did not require surgery, just physiotherapy.

“It’s been a good Summer break and I’m feeling much stronger physically,” commented Pedrosa. “I’ve had time to relax with some friends and also have lots of physiotherapy on my shoulder to prepare myself for this second part of the season. I’ve had a medical check in the last days and we can see the bone getting stronger. It still needs a few more weeks to recover completely but my feeling is already much better than in Laguna. It’s important to remain focused, especially now as we have three races in a row. I’ve had good results at Indy in the past few years, I enjoy riding there and now I am eager to get back on the bike and ride at my best!”

via TWOWHEELSBLOG