Motegi MotoGP: Pedrosa says Lorenzo's second places a pity
Dani Pedrosa admitted his victory joy at Motegi was tempered by the fact Jorge Lorenzo remains fully in control of their championship fight
Pedrosa's fourth win in the last fives races - and his fifth of the season, a personal record for him in MotoGP - allowed him to once again chip away at Lorenzo's advantage.
The Yamaha man remains 28 points ahead however, meaning he can afford to finish behind Pedrosa in all three remaining races and still seal the title.
Pedrosa labelled that scenario a 'pity', conceding that it detracted from his joy at triumphing.
"I saw a chance to pass Jorge and was able to put some good laps together. He tried to stay with me, but then decided to settle for second place," Pedrosa reflected.
"We did what we needed to do, it's just a pity that there is no one else who can stay with us.
"Every race I win, he's been second."
Pedrosa explained that he had not always been certain of victory, particularly in the early stages of the race when fears of a repeat of his qualifying chattering issues were playing on his mind.
"I didn't know exactly what pace we could run today - I knew fast but not how fast," he said.
"I wasn't sure at the beginning of the race because of the chatter yesterday and I was a little cautious to start with, so I was impressed by some of the laptimes in the middle of the race, the 1m45s.
"I still suffered quite a lot of chattering in the race but I managed to pass Jorge and at the end control the gap.
"Anyway, it's a great feeling to win races and we are doing it now. Thanks to Honda and the whole team, I'm really happy to win again here in Motegi!"
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