Dani Pedrosa: ‘I was about to cry!’

Competing in his first MotoGP since 2021, and first in front of his home Spanish fans since 2018, the triple title runner-up usually spends his time taking part in private tests at deserted racetracks for KTM.

But Sunday morning saw Pedrosa join the premier-class regulars for a parade lap in front of the 79.625 fans packing the Jerez hillsides.

And when the parade halted in the famous stadium section, there was only one name being cheered by the fans... and then riders.

“It's true, I was really enjoying that lap,” said Pedrosa on Sunday evening. “At one point, we stopped [in the stadium] and they interviewed me a little, and I was about to cry!

“In that moment, I got emotional. And not only because of the crowd, which was full, packed and everyone was cheering my name. But also, the riders.

"I was so surprised! They were so cool, they joined in the party and cheered for me also! It was great.”

Not only did the other riders cheer Pedrosa, but Red Bull KTM team-mate Jack Miller picked the 37-year-old up onto his shoulders.

“Jack is a master of entertainment!” smiled Pedrosa.

Emotion aside, the 31-time MotoGP winner showed he still has plenty of speed this weekend by leading opening practice and qualifying in sixth.

Pedrosa then matched his starting place on his Sprint race debut, before spending much of the main race trying to repeat the feat in a duel with Luca Marini’s Ducati.

But Marini, whose older brother Valentino Rossi enjoyed some famous battles with Pedrosa during his full-time career, get the upper hand by just 0.042s at the flag.

“I was trying to overtake. But I think he was riding really good, really smooth and my problem was that I couldn't really be extremely close on the exit of the turns to be to be strong in the braking,” Pedrosa said.

“So I was always a bit far when we arrived to the braking. But in the last laps he kind of dropped a little bit his pace, so I tried to be closer and just on the finish line we were side by side, but I wasn't able to pass him.”

Pedrosa will now switch back to his ‘day job’ when he returns to Jerez for official testing, alongside the full time field, on Monday.

“After a weekend like this, it's going to be a little bit difficult to recover [physically] for tomorrow. But no, it's good for me!”

KTM regulars Brad Binder and Miller backed up their one-three finish in the Sprint with second and third in the Sunday race.