Pedrosa and Dovizioso Re-Sign with Honda MotoGP

HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) is delighted to confirm today that Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso have re-signed for the factory Honda MotoGP team. After the basic agreement announced by HRC at the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic, the details of the contracts have duly been finalised and both riders signed at the Misano World Circuit during the San Marino Grand Prix weekend.

Pedrosa has agreed a one-year extension to his contract which will see the 23-year-old Spaniard riding for the factory Honda squad for a fifth consecutive season. Dovizioso has signed a deal with HRC for 2010 with options to extend for 2011. With this young and talented pairing, HRC is convinced it has the rider line-up needed to recapture the MotoGP world championship title.

Tetsuo Suzuki, HRC President

“We are very pleased that both Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso have re-signed for the factory Honda team and we have total confidence that these two riders possess the talent to help us fight for the MotoGP World Championship. They both have long and successful careers with Honda in Grand Prix racing and we are happy this partnership will continue. Although we have struggled this season, we will continue the challenge until the very last Grand Prix. Since this year is the 50th anniversary of the start of Honda’s participation in the World Championships, we must remind ourselves once again that Honda has been striving to compete at the top level in the world since the day of its founding. As HRC we will, of course, reinforce the development of our machine, and together with every team member, we will continue to fight with Honda’s challenging spirit in our hearts.”

Dani Pedrosa

“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.”

Andrea Dovizioso

“I’m very happy to be continuing with HRC in the factory Honda team. The experience of being involved with such a prestigious team has been very important for me and, as soon as we began discussing the future, my target was to continue with Honda. My first year as a factory rider has taught me a lot. I’m confident that with the direction we’ve agreed for machine development we can reach a level where we are fighting for victory every Sunday. Honda is a company that has achieved huge racing success and there are a lot of very talented and passionate people behind this effort. I’m sure we have the potential to fight for the world title.”

Rider Profiles

Dani Pedrosa

Date of Birth                           September 29, 1985
Nationality                              Spanish
First Grand Prix                      2001 Japanese GP 125cc class
First Grand Prix Victory           2002 Dutch TT 125cc class
Grand Prix Victories                 30: 125cc x 8, 250cc x 15, MotoGP x 7
First Pole Position                  2002 Japanese GP 125cc class
Poles                                       31: 125cc x 9, 250cc x 9, MotoGP x 13
World Championships             3: 2003 125cc class, 2004/2005 250cc class

Career
2000 Spanish 125cc championship:     4th (Honda RS125)
2001 125cc Grand Prix            8th (Honda RS125), 125cc Rookie of the Year
2002 125cc Grand Prix            3rd (Honda RS125)
2003 125cc Grand Prix            Champion (Honda RS125)
2004 250cc Grand Prix            Champion (Honda RS250RW), Rookie of the Year
2005 250cc Grand Prix            Champion (Honda RS250RW)
2006 MotoGP                         5th (Honda RC211V), Rookie of the Year
2007 MotoGP                         2nd (Honda RC212V)
2008 MotoGP                         3rd (Honda RC212V)

Andrea Dovizioso

Date of Birth                          March 23, 1986
Nationality                             Italy
First Grand Prix                      2001 Italian GP 125cc class
First Grand Prix Victory           2004 South Africa GP 125cc class
Grand Prix Victories                10: 125cc x 5, 250cc x 4, MotoGP x 1
First Pole Position                  2003 French GP 125cc class
Poles                                       125cc x 9, 250cc x 4
World Championship Wins     2004 125cc class

Career
2001 European 125cc Championship    Champion
2002 125cc Grand Prix             16th (Honda RS125)
2003 125cc Grand Prix             5th (Honda RS125)
2004 125cc Grand Prix             Champion (Honda RS125)
2005 250cc Grand Prix             3rd (Honda RS250RW)
2006 250cc Grand Prix             2nd (Honda RS250RW)
2007 250cc Grand Prix             2nd (Honda RS250RW)
2008 MotoGP                          5th (Honda RC212V)