Dani Pedrosa hopes he can mount a more consistent challenge in 2010 after securing third in this year's MotoGP championship with victory at Valencia today. The Honda rider started the season off the pace as he recovered from a string of winter injuries, but once up to speed he dropped back in races after invariably taking the lead off the line. His Valencia win was only his second of 2009.
"This year I started well many times, but I only won twice, so I think I must go quick in corners and be consistent with the times over the laps, otherwise I get caught and overtaken," Pedrosa told Italia1. "I need to push all the time, so I must work more on setups in order to be competitive throughout the race."
He hopes that the new engine usage restrictions that come fully into effect next year will benefit his Honda team. "Looks like things will change quite a bit next year, because six engines for the entire season are very few," said Pedrosa. "I think Honda is one of the best manufacturers at making good engines, so I hope we'll have some advantage from this point of view."
Pedrosa added that he was delighted to have ended his tough season with another win on home soil. Four of his eight MotoGP race victories have come in Spain, and today he led from lights to flag after polesitter Casey Stoner crashed on the formation lap.
"I've done a very good race," said Pedrosa. "In the end, it's another victory here in Spain and it's fantastic for me. We've worked very hard over the weekend after having many problems in practice. With Stoner out of the race it was easier, but to win again is a great feeling for me."