Pedrosa hopeful of Brno return

The Spaniard fractured his left wrist and index finger when he crashed out of the lead of the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring last month.

He attempted to race at Laguna and rode in the first two practice sessions before withdrawing from the event. But his hand has healed well during the last few weeks and he hopes to be able to ride unhindered at Brno.

"The break was good for recovery because after Laguna the situation was not so good," he said. "I had to stop for a week and a half, and then I started to recover the movement of the wrist and fingers.

"It was good to have the break and tomorrow I will see when I jump on the bike how the situation is now. Of course it should be better, and I hope it's enough, but you can only imagine how it will be. Until you try to ride at the maximum level you never know what your limitations are.

"I hope this time it will be acceptable and I can race."

Pedrosa was leading the championship before the Sachsenring but is now 41 points behind Valentino Rossi and admits that it will be difficult to regain the lost ground.

"It's going to be very tough because at the moment the level is very high," he added. "We have had to improve our package to be faster and now with this injury it is tough. But I hope it can be better and that I will be fine for the next races."