Austin MotoGP: Honda's Dani Pedrosa passed fit to race
Honda MotoGP rider Dani Pedrosa has been passed fit for this weekend's Austin race
Pedrosa underwent surgery last week having fractured the radius in his right wrist on the first lap of the Argentinian Grand Prix.
Honda tester Stefan Bradl had been tipped to replace Pedrosa in America, but Honda then announced he would travel in an attempt to race.
But Pedrosa has now been passed fit to ride ahead of tomorrow's free practice sessions, although he admits the real test of his fitness will be in practice.
"At this moment it is hard to tell, I have to go on the bike and then see the real feeling and how the performance is on the track," he said.
"This is, I would say, one of the most difficult tracks to be not very fit, so this is going to be very important.
"Maybe in another track [this] would be easier but we have to first go on the track."
Pedrosa is 12th in the standings by virtue of his seventh place finish in the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix, with his Argentina crash preventing him from making the most of starting second.
The Honda rider has finished on the podium at the Circuit of the Americas three out of the four times he has raced there, finishing third last year.
Marquez reveals issue that led to contentious Argentina MotoGP ride
Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez must end MotoGP feud - Jack Miler
Miller ‘didn’t know I had dominant Motegi MotoGP win in me’
Ducati’s Jack Miller admits he “didn’t know I had it in me” to dominate the MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi.
Marquez: Japanese GP first MotoGP race where “I didn’t feel pain"
Marc Marquez says Sunday’s MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix was the first race since badly breaking his right arm in 2020 where “I didn’t feel pain during the race”.
Bagnaia crashed out of Japan MotoGP race because he was “too ambitious”
Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia says he crashed out of the last lap of the MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix trying to overtake points leader Fabio Quartararo because he was “too ambitious”.
Quartararo laments “frustrating” Motegi MotoGP race
Championship leader Fabio Quartararo says his MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix was “frustrating” because he “cannot overtake at all” on his Yamaha after finishing eighth.
The unique advantage Ducati must now use to win the 2022 MotoGP title
Ducati has littered the grid with eight strong motorcycles that has ensured it has had at least one rider stand on the podium at every grand prix in 2022. The drama of the Aragon Grand Prix has thrust Francesco Bagnaia well and truly into title contention with five races to go, and Ducati must now consider utilising a unique strength it has so far been reticent to embrace
How KTM failed one of its brightest MotoGP prospects
Reigning Moto2 champion Remy Gardner’s career has been derailed by KTM’s decision not to retain him at Tech3 for 2023. Amid difficult circumstances, Gardner hasn’t shamed himself. But KTM’s apparent reasoning for dropping him raises questions about its handling of its young riders and the unrealistic expectations placed on them
Why it won’t just be Marquez’s speed that saves Honda in MotoGP
OPINION: Honda is in the midst of a second winless season in the space of three years. The absence of the injured Marc Marquez has been a major contributing factor, but HRC’s inability to alter its own approach has seen it slide down the order. Marquez returned to the MotoGP paddock in Austria and provided a rallying cry Honda needed to hear.
The signs Quartararo’s 2022 MotoGP title is slipping away from him
Prior to the summer break, the 2022 MotoGP title looked like it was Fabio Quartararo’s to lose. But a crash at Assen and the consequential penalty he had to serve last weekend at Silverstone stopped him from capitalising on a main rival’s injury woes, while a resurgence from another, plus the rise of a former team-mate, look set to conspire against the Yamaha rider
Why Marquez’s toughest MotoGP foe is stopping at the right time
On the eve of the British Grand Prix, Andrea Dovizioso announced that he will be retiring from MotoGP after September’s San Marino GP. The timing of his departure raised eyebrows, but his reasoning remains sensible and what has happened this year should not diminish a hard-built legacy
Why a Suzuki refugee feels he deserves MotoGP's toughest challenge
Alex Rins’ MotoGP future was plunged into sudden doubt when Suzuki elected to quit the series at the end of 2022. Securing a deal with Honda to join LCR, he will now tread a path that many have fallen off from. But it was a move he felt his status deserved, and it’s a challenge – he tells Autosport - he faces with his eyes wide open…
How Formula 1 has driven MotoGP's changing nature
The hiring of technicians from Formula 1 has clearly contributed to a recent change in the MotoGP landscape, with the role of engineers gaining greater significance relative to the riders. Here's how this shift has come about
The revolution behind Aprilia's rise from MotoGP tail-ender to pack-leader
Coinciding with the arrival of Massimo Rivola as head of its MotoGP division, Aprilia has undergone an internal revolution that has spurred it from occupying last place in the team standings to leading the table in the space of just two years. Those entrenched in the project reveal how the ex-Ferrari F1 chief has achieved the dramatic turnaround