Cycle News Staff | September 6, 2009
Several weeks after an announcement that Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso would be returning to the Repsol Honda MotoGP team, the pair actually signed their contracts, putting an end to speculation that Pedrosa would make the jump to Ducati.The pair signed their deals this weekend at the San Marino Grand Prix in Misano.Pedrosa has agreed a one-year extension to his contract that will see the 23-year-old Spaniard riding for the factory Honda squad for a fifth consecutive season. Dovizioso has signed a deal with HRC for 2010 with options to extend for 2011.Tetsuo Suzuki, HRC President
“We are very pleased that both Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso have re-signed for the factory Honda team and we have total confidence that these two riders possess the talent to help us fight for the MotoGP World Championship,” HRC president Tetsuo Suzuki said in a release. “They both have long and successful careers with Honda in Grand Prix racing and we are happy this partnership will continue. Although we have struggled this season, we will continue the challenge until the very last Grand Prix. Since this year is the 50th anniversary of the start of Honda’s participation in the World Championships, we must remind ourselves once again that Honda has been striving to compete at the top level in the world since the day of its founding. As HRC we will, of course, reinforce the development of our machine, and together with every team member, we will continue to fight with Honda’s challenging spirit in our hearts.”Pedrosa was pleased to have the deal done.”This new agreement with HRC is great news for me and I’m very pleased to be staying with the team that I’ve ridden for since 2006,” the Spaniard said. “We have now established an effective way of working and I’m confident that we can become even more competitive in the future. The target has always been to win the world championship and that of course stays the same. We have proved before that we can be the fastest and beat the best in the world, and I still believe we can get to a level where we are challenging for that at every race. That is what the whole team must work towards. HRC has a very impressive racing heritage and I still have confidence that they can produce a bike that can win the world championship.”Dovizioso, who won a Grand Prix earlier in the season in his debut year with the factory team, said: “I’m very happy to be continuing with HRC in the factory Honda team. The experience of being involved with such a prestigious team has been very important for me and, as soon as we began discussing the future, my target was to continue with Honda. My first year as a factory rider has taught me a lot. I’m confident that with the direction we’ve agreed for machine development we can reach a level where we are fighting for victory every Sunday. Honda is a company that has achieved huge racing success and there are a lot of very talented and passionate people behind this effort. I’m sure we have the potential to fight for the world title.”
