Dani Pedrosa rode a flawless race today to take his second MotoGP win in as many weekends and claim the first back-to-back victories of his MotoGP career. The Repsol Honda rider led for all 28 laps of the San Marino Grand Prix at Misano, recording his fourth win of 2010 and the twelfth of his MotoGP career. His team-mate Andrea Dovizioso put on a fighting performance today, moving from eighth on the grid to challenge Valentino Rossi for much of the race for the last spot on the podium, eventually finishing fourth.
The racing at Misano today was overshadowed however by the death of Japanese rider Shoya Tomizawa following an accident in the Moto2 race. Coming after the fatality of Peter Lenz in a support race at last weekend’s Indianapolis Grand Prix, both Repsol Honda riders were deeply saddened by today’s events.
DANI PEDROSA – 1st – World Championship Position 2nd 208 points
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MotoGP: Pole Sitter Dani Pedrosa Wins San Marino Grand Prix, Overshadowed by Moto2 Driver’s Death
MotoGP: San Marino Grand Prix - Race Results
Video: Moto2 Driver Shoya Tomizawa Dies in Crash at San Marino Grand Prix
“There are no words to say how it feels after this victory - it feels like nothing. I arrived at parc fermé very happy with the win and I immediately felt that the atmosphere among my mechanics was really strange, everybody was serious. Still with my helmet on they told me about Tomizawa and I couldn’t react. It was a big shock, a big contrast for me. I asked three times if it was true because I couldn’t believe it. It’s so sad, terrible, and these things should never happen. As a person I can only say that he was a very funny boy, always happy and making jokes, and as a rider he earned respect from everybody in a very short time, he was fast and brave. To lose two riders in a week is terrible. I believe everybody in the World Championship is feeling the same now and I want to send my condolences to the family. When you are born, life gives you the chance to choose what you want to do. Tomi chose to be a rider and in fact he was doing great. I just want to think that he’s been happy making his dream come true. Concerning the race, I want to say thank you again to my team for doing a great job. The whole weekend has been perfect: good practices, a very high pace during the race, and the second win in a row and the fourth of the season. I want to keep my feet on the ground though and just concentrate on one race at a time. The feeling on the bike is very good now and my goal is to continue in this way. But to be honest I’m not really thinking about that at this moment.”
ANDREA DOVIZIOSO – 4 – World Championship Position 3rd 139 points
“My thoughts are with Shoya Tomizawa. I was informed after the race and the news is like a slap in the face. Two tragic accidents in two races is so terrible and it reminds us how dangerous is our job. The safety commission has improved safety levels so much that we often forget this aspect. I’m so sorry for Tomizawa’s family. Having become a father I can understand that this is the worst thing that can happen for a family. Unfortunately we couldn’t do anything: these were two casualties, two accidents with a similar dynamic where the track-side barriers were not touched. This can happen and this is why our job is so risky. Concerning the race, we did the maximum. The race weekend was so complicated but we succeeded in turning the bad results from qualifying into a good race. I’m not happy with the 4th position though because our target was the podium. Today the bike was working better and I also improved my riding - I rode differently from qualifying. We could race with a high pace and this is the important point. I was pushing so hard and, especially in the middle of the race, me and Valentino were putting in really fast lap times. I tried to catch Rossi but in the end I couldn’t make it. We will start for the next race from here: we were fast and now we need concrete results.”
TOSHIYUKI YAMAJI - REPSOL HONDA TEAM MANAGER
“Dani and Andrea did a good job today, but today’s result is completely insignificant next to the events in the Moto2 race. The thoughts of all in the team and Honda go out to Shoya Tomizawa’s family and friends. May he rest in peace.”
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