Date: 22/06/2011
MotoGP World Championship leader Casey Stoner believes
the merciless run of injuries suffered by Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa
has made motivation for an early return to grand prix action 'difficult'.
Pedrosa, last year's world championship
runner-up, broke his right collarbone in a collision with fellow RC212V rider
Marco Simoncelli during round four at Le Mans on May 15, and hasn’t been seen
at the track since.
The crash, for which Simoncelli received a
ride-through penalty, was an especially bitter blow since Pedrosa had only just
got on top of career-threatening numbness problems caused by a broken left
collarbone in last October's Japanese Grand Prix.
Having battled injuries every year since his 2006 MotoGP debut, few could blame Pedrosa for choosing not to rush his return, although questions were raised when Colin Edwards got back on track - and onto the podium - only one week after breaking his collarbone at Catalunya.
Having battled injuries every year since his 2006 MotoGP debut, few could blame Pedrosa for choosing not to rush his return, although questions were raised when Colin Edwards got back on track - and onto the podium - only one week after breaking his collarbone at Catalunya.
There have been whispers of a possible training accident
setting back Pedrosa's recovery, which were fuelled further when the Spaniard
was recently forced to undergo a second operation.
Stoner dodged that debate, but believes that, after
everything he has been through, Dani now has little desire to make an early
return.
"This is a bad situation, Dani having to go back for
more surgery," said Stoner. " If it was a clear situation maybe he
would be back already, but another surgery makes things a lot more complicated
for him.
"By the sounds of it, it's difficult for him to find
motivation to come back and ride again, when he's been so unlucky with injuries
and to have this situation happen to him again."
Pedrosa has been Honda's top MotoGP rider since 2007, but
Stoner dismissed the idea that, with the former 125 and 250cc world champion
sidelined, winning this year's championship will be an easier task.
"I don’t think it's going to make the championship
easier without Dani. I've still got a lot of competitors, although Dani would
have added to it for sure," he said.
Stoner is aiming to become Honda's first world champion
since Nicky Hayden in 2006. 2011 is also the final chance for Honda to win an
800cc MotoGP title.
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