MotoGP title contender Dani Pedrosa will see how badly his fractured left wrist and index finger and sprained right ankle will restrict his ability to compete this weekend at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix only when he pulls out of the Repsol Honda pit-box at Laguna Seca for free practice on Friday morning.
The young Catalan star is keen not to lose further ground in the World Championship having conceded the standings lead to Valentino Rossi last Sunday when he crashed out of a wet race in Germany, and will do his best to ride at the Californian track in order to keep pace with Rossi and in-form World Champion Casey Stoner.
Whether or not Pedrosa can realistically expect to be competitive at round eleven remains to be seen, but the former 250cc and 125cc title winner is remaining focussed and pragmatic.
`At the moment things are a little bit difficult, but until I get on the bike I have no answers,´ Pedrosa told motogp.com in the Laguna paddock on Thursday. `Of course I can have an idea, but I am not really sure what I can really do. I just have to wait until tomorrow.´
When asked which of his injuries he expects to hinder him most, he replied, `The ankle took a big hit and I cannot walk, but I think the most important thing is the hand because I have to hold the handlebar and use the clutch. The bike has a lot of power and for safety reasons you have to really grip the handlebar.´