MotoGP News: Pedrosa to Have Surgery

Dani Pedrosa finished sixth in the opening round of the 2015 MotoGP championship last weekend in Qatar, but the small Spaniard was in pain for much of the race because of arm-pump issues. The problem, common among motorcycle racers, is a build-up of pressure in the forearms, which makes riding a motorcycle, let alone racing one, exceptionally tough.

As a result, Pedrosa will have surgery on Friday to address these arm-pump issues, which also plagued him last year. Pedrosa, you may recall, had surgery after the Jerez round in 2014, but it apparently was unsuccessful. Although Pedrosa had no arm-pump problems in winter testing, they returned in the heat of competition last weekend. When Pedrosa flew home to Spain on Monday, specialists in Barcelona and Madrid recommended surgery as soon as possible. Expected recovery time is four to six weeks, so we won’t see Pedrosa at Austin or Argentina. Moreover, his return is entirely dependent on the success of the surgery.

For more on arm pump and what it is physiologically, please see MotoGP Under The Knife by Heather McCoy.

Said Pedrosa: "Obviously this isn't the news I wanted to be sharing with everyone. However, after speaking with some key doctors and medical professionals that I trust, they are all in agreement that this is the only option for me. We will have the surgery on Friday, and they will use a special technique to help close the wound to try and prevent this issue continuing to affect me. Let's hope it's a success. I want to thank all my fans for their support, but especially Honda, Repsol, Red Bull, and all our sponsors for their understanding in this matter."

In the meantime, Pedrosa’s spot on the team will be taken by HRC test rider Hiroshi Aoyama.