Madrid hosts Repsol Honda presentation

From Repsol Honda

MADRID, SPAIN -- The Repsol Honda Team for the 2009 MotoGP season was presented at the same time as the Indoor Trial round in Madrid on Saturday, an event attended by Andrea Dovizioso and Toni Bou, accompanied by Dani Pedrosa via videoconference.

The Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad de Madrid was converted into an authentic spectacle of light and music so that the Repsol Honda Team's latest addition, Dovizioso could be presented to Spanish fans.

Pedrosa, still recovering from the injuries he picked up in the latest practice sessions in Qatar, did not want to miss the presentation and even though he was not able to be there in person he was there as a virtual guest via satellite. This allowed him to greet all the fans in the stadium from Barcelona and to respond to the questions made by some Repsol workers.

At the end of the presentation Dovizioso unveiled the Repsol Honda RC212V 2009, the machine he will ride in this season`s World MotoGP Championship, and which thanks to the latest regulations, promises to be very competitive.

“Becoming an official rider in the Repsol Honda Team is a dream come true for me," Dovizioso said. "It is a great experience and an incredible challenge, something I have already had a chance to see in the pre-season practice sessions.

"Being in the official team means that you carry more responsibility, now I have to help develop the motorcycle and this quite a complex task in MotoGP. All I did before was to ride and go as fast as possible, refining the setup, but now I also have to think about how the bike behaves so that its overall performance can be improved. The bike has improved as the engine power is more manageable and the chassis we are using really helped us with the feeling that the front end transmits to us; it now leans over better.”

The final round of the World Indoor Trial Championship became a party for all the fans in the stadium. The recently crowned three times World Indoor Trial Champion, Bou made a spectacular entrance into the hall alongside Dovizioso. The two jumped onto the stage riding trial bikes, a fantastic sight that was a great warm-up for the official presentation of the riders that will defend the Repsol colours in the 2009 World MotoGP Championship.

The party carried on with the final round of the World Indoor Trial Championship, something that gave Bou a chance to offer his fifth world title to the public – this is his third indoor title – after he wrapped the championship by winning the penultimate round in Italy.

The next time the Repsol Honda Team is together will be at the Official MotoGP Test that will take place in Jerez in two weeks, but only Dovizioso will be there. Pedrosa's objective is to be fit enough for the first race of the year on April 12 at the Losail Circuit, Qatar.

“I feel well and I’m patient because I still need two weeks before starting to move the knee," Pedrosa said. "I’m sorry I couldn’t be with all the fans gathered in Madrid for the team presentation but I need to recover and in this moment I have to listen to my body.

"I would have liked to do more training, but I will do it in different way. My traget is to be ready for the first race in Qatar that will take place in a month.”