All the factory rides in MotoGP are now officially tied up as both Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso have signed contracts with Repsol Honda for next year’s MotoGP season. Specifically, Pedrosa has agreed to a one-year extension on his contract, while Dovizioso has signed a deal for 2010, with an option for the 2011 season.
This deal will make 2010 the 5th consecutive season that Pedrosa has ridden for Honda, but it didn’t come easy. First, Honda announced at Brno that a deal for a 2-year contract renewal had been struck between Pedrosa/Dovizioso and Repsol Honda, but for some minor issues.
This announcement was quickly rebutted by Alberto Puig, Pedrosa’s manager, whose involvement in the team was the minor issue at hand that kept the deal from being final. After reports of Ducati making an offer on Pedrosa, it seemd like Honda’s announcement at Brno might have been premature, and that initial agreement was falling apart.
But as Ducati renewed its contract with Nicky Hayden, it was al but guaranteed that Dani would stay at Honda. It would seem now that rumors that Pedrosa would formally sign with HRC this weekend at San Marino were correct.
We’ve heard nothing mentioned in the contract about Puig’s involvement for 2010, and Dani’s statement about signing is you’re standard fluff piece:
“This new agreement with HRC is great news for me and I’m very pleased to be staying with the team that I’ve ridden for since 2006. We have now established an effective way of working and I’m confident that we can become even more competitive in the future. The target has always been to win the World Championship and that of course stays the same. We have proved before that we can be the fastest and beat the best in the world, and I still believe we can get to a level where we are challenging for that at every race. That is what the whole team must work towards. HRC has a very impressive racing heritage and I still have confidence that they can produce a bike that can win the World Championship.”
Expect this article to get updated as details emerge.
Source: MotoGP
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