MotoGP legend Dani Pedrosa ended his career as a full-time racing driver after the disappointing 2018 season. After spending his entire MotoGP life with Honda up to that point, his first change came after his career and the ‘little samurai’ started his duties as a test driver. and occasional wildcard rider at KTM. His second motorcycle life is as different as night and day from the Honda days.
“I have a perfect balance. I enjoy my life more than ever. I really enjoy all my tasks, even if it means testing, working with the team or even working for Spanish TV,” explained a cheerful Pedrosa in the official MotoGP podcast ‘Last on the Brakes’. Statements that are hugely surprising. The Spaniard was known as a completely different character during his active days. There was a reason for that.
Pressure at Honda: Even second place is a disappointment
“To be honest, when you’re a Repsol Honda rider, there’s a lot more pressure. Not just from the media, but also within the team. It’s very difficult to deal with the fact that results are considered a must,” he admitted in retrospect. How can you imagine that? “Even when you came second, you could see disappointed faces.” He admitted that this situation was not easy for him: “It gets to you, especially on a weekend when it doesn’t feel good. If you’re not in absolute top form to perform, it wears you down.”
And that’s how the well-known Pedrosa came into being: “To be honest, I always asked to be left alone from all the media activity. I didn’t want that.” The constant pressure situation made him isolate himself: “You want to avoid everything about the media, chatter – everything off the track. You want to be in a tunnel and for you it consists solely of racing.”
MotoGP test rider role at KTM helps Pedrosa out of his ‘tunnel’
However, the racing driver Dani Pedrosa did not necessarily correspond to the real Dani Pedrosa. “As soon as I retired, all this burden fell from me and I was able to open up to things a little more,” explained the 31-time MotoGP winner. The mere fact that he even appeared on a podcast shows the change. The original intention of his test driver job at KTM was exactly the opposite: “I wanted to reorganize myself and feel the excitement of racing and testing again, but without all the circus around it.”
But now that the stress and pressure have lessened, Pedrosa can actually find something to like about this circus. Despite almost 300 Grand Prix starts on the Honda, his wildcard appearances with KTM are a new experience for him: “It’s completely different at a Grand Prix compared to my time as a full-time racer. I’m much more aware of everything now. I can even enjoy the atmosphere a little now.” After all the years in the paddock, his perception has changed again: “I have a broader view of all the aspects that make it [das Rennwochenende, Anm. d. Red.] brings with it.”
Will Grand Prix appearance number 300 come for Dani Pedrosa?
It is not yet clear whether Pedrosa will repeat this experience. If he gets another wildcard for KTM, he would be in his 300th Grand Prix. “Someone told me that I’m at 299. That’s not a number that I necessarily like. I would like the number 3. Who knows, we have to talk to KTM about it,” Pedrosa gave the fans hope. But after the race weekend Jerez, including a slight injury to his elbow, the Spaniard thought he had had enough for now. Last year Pedrosa also drove in Misano. He also stated that he likes the track in Sepang. The next wildcard for the Mattighofen team will be Pol Espargaro driving in Mugello. Beyond that, KTM’s plans are not yet known.