MotoGP: 'I didn't remember these bikes were this fast,' says Pedrosa
Seven weeks ago Dani Pedrosa was faced with a brutal choice.
Go under the surgeon's knife for an extreme solution to crippling arm pump, or face the prospect of bringing a stellar MotoGP career to a premature end.
Pedrosa chose the knife and, on Friday, made a brave, emotion charged return to the track in free practice for Sunday's French Grand Prix at Le Mans.
There were nervous moments as Pedrosa reset his brain to deal with the stunning speed and performance of Honda's 260 horsepower RC213V.
After missing three races for surgery and intense rehab sessions, Pedrosa made a remarkable comeback with the seventh-fastest time, just 0.5s behind early pacesetter Bradley Smith.
"On the second and third lap I was a little apprehensive because it was hard at the beginning to keep full throttle," Pedrosa said.
"On this track you have a lot of wheelie so it was difficult for me to adjust my brain to all the little things you need to do on the bike.
"I had a lot of feelings on the bike and I didn't remember these bikes were this fast. At the beginning of practice at my pace I had many riders passing me."
Shattered that he could no longer compete at his own high level and contend for race wins and the world championship, Pedrosa pulled out of MotoGP after the opening race at Qatar.
As a last resort, Pedrosa agreed to surgery that saw doctors remove the layer of fascia around the muscle of his right forearm. Pedrosa had suffered thru the 2014 season with crippling arm pump.
Pedrosa knew that he could not race at the highest level to contend for victories.
"Of course, that was when I said l needed to find a solution and it wasn't easy," Pedrosa said.
"In the condition I was in I couldn't ride to level I wanted to. I had tried therapy but it didn't really improve things.
"There were some demanding mental games for me because you know you can do better. So I decided I needed to fix the arm in one way or another."
Pedrosa was positive in his summary of his physical condition after his first day back on the bike but warns that it be his recovery rate after the French race that will a better guide to his progress.
And it will take at least three of four races to fully evaluate if the surgery has saved his career.
"Today I had a lot of problems controlling the wheelies and staying forward on the bike and controlling the movement of the bike in braking," Pedrosa said.
"My arm is a little weaker because I haven't ridden at this level for so long.
"I have some swelling and it will be important see the recovery and level of swelling and the pain over the next days. I have only done very short runs not trying to stress the arm too much."
Pedrosa, 29, is now in his 10th season of MotoGP. During that time, he has won 26 GPs and has been runner-up in the world championship three times (2007, '10 and '12).
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