Pedrosa hopes to be fit by Qatar

The Honda rider has had a titanium screw inserted into his left wrist and a skin graft on his left knee following a violent testing accident in Qatar last Monday. Pedrosa's bike landed on him as he fell following a high-side at Turn 10, causing new injuries to the wrist and knee that were still recovering from crashes in 2008.

He left hospital in Barcelona yesterday morning, and said he was pleased with his progress so far.

"I feel quite a lot better," said Pedrosa. "When I arrived the truth is that the knee did not look very good, but the operation went well and I am pleased. This morning Dr (Bartolome) Ferreira made his final check and I saw how good the knee was looking.

"Now I have to rest a little as it is very important to give the body a break for the first few days, let things take their course, then I will start my recovery plan.

"I imagine that at the beginning it will be tough trying to give the skin and knee some elasticity. Referring to my arm, this will not be so complicated, as it will not be immobilised for so long."

Pedrosa's target is to be ready to race in Qatar, but he said he will only make a final decision on race day.

"We are planning to work hard and so be ready for the first race in Qatar, but when the day arrives we will have to see whether I am really in perfect shape to get on the bike," he said. "The objective is to try and be fit for the first race."

Dr Xavier Mir, who performed the wrist surgery, was upbeat about Pedrosa's prospects.

"The work that we did today on Dani Pedrosa's knee allowed us to make it look a lot better, and so now it is looking very good," he said. "Dr Ferreira who carried out the operation, has allowed him to begin putting his foot on the floor as there were some doubts about whether he could walk with crutches.

"Turning to the recovery times, we are optimistic, although we cannot commit ourselves to being ready for the first race. We will take all the relevant steps to speed his recovery, and even though we cannot say whether he will be ready for the first race we do not rule anything out.

"The knee injury is more complicated but it is looking very good, so we are optimistic. We know that in many cases the recovery times for professional sportsmen are usually shorter, and keeping this in mind Dani's prognosis is very good."

Pedrosa added that he was not going to become downcast about his situation, despite his recent spate of injuries having limited him to just two and a half days of pre-season testing.

"You do not choose to be in a situation like this, but we have no other choice than to face up to things and to carry on," he said.

"I have fallen many times and I have always fought back and I will do it again. We will get back to riding fast on the bike, but it is true that I am having some problems this pre-season, but there is nothing we can do about that, we just have to keep going."