Despite being the more experienced rider at Honda, Dani Pedrosa has revealed that he learned an ‘unthinkable’ lesson from Marc Marquez in how to keep going 100% after crashing multiple times.
Many consider Pedrosa one of the best riders to never win a MotoGP title. He finished runner-up in 2007, 2010, and 2012 before facing a new challenge in 2013 when his rookie teammate Marquez joined the team.
Marquez had just come off winning the Moto2 championship and wasted no time making his mark in MotoGP. He captured the title in his debut season, beating out established stars like Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and even his Honda teammate.
Having found instant success at Repsol Honda Team alongside Andrea Dovizioso back in 2009, Pedrosa finished third that year and made it clear that he was ready for a title challenge.
The following year saw him take on Rossi once again but fail to break through yet again. Even though many considered him one of the most talented riders on the grid then – especially when race day came around – injuries started taking their toll. The momentum built up over several seasons began slipping away as physical setbacks kept piling up one after another.
Pedrosa says Marquez showed him how to keep pushing after crashes
Marquez built a reputation for his fearless riding style, always pushing the boundaries and braking later than most would dare.
It wasn’t without consequence. The risks led to frequent crashes and a long list of injuries, and Pedrosa believed he had a real chance at the title during Marquez’s 2020 absence. Still, Marquez kept returning, always ready to fight for wins.
For Pedrosa, that kind of resilience was hard to wrap his head around. Over time though, he found there were lessons in it. Speaking via Fast & Curious, he explained how it changed his perspective on race weekends.
When asked if Marquez ever picked up anything from him, Pedrosa said: “Oh dear, I don’t know what he’s learnt from me. I haven’t had that conversation yet… deep conversation because with rivals that tough, you don’t reveal many secrets.
“For example, with Stoner. Yes, now, sure, we’ve already been able to sit down and talk about when he was with me on the team. But anyway, I’ve learnt from Marc.
“What I learnt is that sometimes it’s worth it, because my approach to the race was always to build up gradually, OK? To try and minimise the risk, obviously, because every time I crashed, I hurt myself.
“I couldn’t afford to crash five times in a weekend and still end up on the podium. That was just unthinkable for me. Well, Marc did it, you know?
“He’d wreck five bikes, but on Sunday, he’d either win the race or finish second or third. So what I’d say I learnt from him is that different way of looking at the weekend.
“He’d go 100%, and when he went over the top, he’d ease off a bit whenever he needed to, to be in the sweet spot, but his approach was always to give 100% or a bit more.”
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