Pedrosa doubtful for Assen

From Repsol Honda

This weekend the Repsol Honda Team travels to Holland to take part in the Dutch TT, the seventh round of the MotoGP Championship, with Casey Stoner leading the Championship, Andrea Dovizioso in third place overall and Dani Pedrosa - now fifth after missing the last two GPs - working hard to return to racing as soon as possible after receiving another surgery last Thursday.

But it looks like the Repsol Honda team will face another GP without Pedrosa. The Spanish rider is still recovering after his surgery last Thursday to fix a small fragment of bone in the right collarbone that had moved during his previous rehabilitation. Pedrosa, who confirmed he will be back on his RC212V in Mugello on July 3, is feeling better and better each day, but at this moment it is almost certain he will not return in Assen.

“It's been some days since the surgery and I feel much better," Pedrosa explained. "I don't feel the pain I had before the operation and the evolution has been very good. I've already begun the rehabilitation and I am very positive. Every day I notice an improvement and this is very good because I really wish to get back on the bike as soon as possible.

"To be honest it will be very difficult for me to make it to Assen, but I really believe I will be okay for Mugello, so now I'm focused on working to get better every day and see how far I get. I want to return as soon as possible, but I want to do the right thing.”

If, as it looks more likely, Pedrosa will not race in Assen, he will be replaced in the Repsol Honda team by Hiroshi Aoyama, with HRC test rider, Kousuke Akiyoshi stepping in to take his place in the San Carlo Honda Gresini Team. HRC would be pleased to give an opportunity to Aoyama to race in Assen on the Factory RC212V and thanks Gresini Racing Team for their cooperation.