Pedrosa: "In Stoner I saw things I simply couldn't do"

Dani Pedrosa offers a detailed assessment of the strengths of Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Casey Stoner and Marc Marquez - riders with whom he formed the elite club known as the ‘Fantastic Five’.

Pedrosa retired from full-time racing at the end of 2018, after a lifetime as Honda’s standard-bearer in the world championship. The following year, he became one of the key figures in KTM’s MotoGP project, where he continues to lead the development of the RC16.

Over 13 seasons in the premier class, the Catalan amassed 31 victories and 112 podiums. The only missing piece was the MotoGP crown - he was runner-up on three occasions - despite having strung together three consecutive world titles in the lower classes: 125cc (2003) and 250cc (2004 and 2005).

When he arrived in MotoGP in 2006 as Honda’s spearhead, Pedrosa was labelled by many as Rossi’s natural rival. Not only did he take on ‘the Doctor’, but he also shared the grid with Stoner, Lorenzo, and later Marquez, who would eventually become his team-mate at Honda.

Fans grouped this remarkable line-up under the nickname the ‘Fantastic Five’, in recognition of the talent, pedigree and charisma they collectively embodied.

During the San Marino Grand Prix, Pedrosa appeared on a podcast hosted by two-time Moto3 race winner Andrea Migno, where he reflected on his career. In the conversation, Pedrosa offered a profile of his fiercest rivals, highlighting the qualities that defined each of them.

Dani Pedrosa, Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo on the front row

Photo by: Hazrin Yeob Men Shah

“Valentino did something extraordinary for our sport. When I was on track with him, especially in the early years, overtaking him never felt the same as with the others. Let’s say he had an aura that not many riders possessed,” Pedrosa explained.

“Rossi could beat you on track, but sometimes he didn’t even need to; he could defeat you off the track as well. For me, with my character, that was difficult to handle.”

On Lorenzo, with whom he had clashed since their junior days in Spain, Pedrosa was equally respectful of his natural talent and his relentless work ethic in refining weaknesses: “With Jorge it was different, because our rivalry went back years. He had this tremendous quality through corner speed, and also on the brakes.

“Over time he improved massively. He struggled with starts, so he focused on fixing them. Then on improving his first laps, then on riding in the wet.”

Then came Stoner, a rival Pedrosa admitted he could only admire for his extraordinary instincts in racing: “When I watched Vale or Lorenzo, I would say ‘wow’. But there was nothing they did that I thought I couldn’t do myself. Maybe not always, because it wasn’t my strongest point, but I could see myself capable. With Stoner, though, I saw things that I simply couldn’t do.

“Casey would go out on track, almost without knowing if the circuit turned right or left, on cold tyres and without a set-up, and he was already flying on the first lap.”

Finally, Pedrosa turned his attention to Marquez, with whom he shared the Honda garage for six seasons, from Marquez’s debut in 2013 until his own retirement from full-time racing in 2018: “Marc is able to do the same kinds of things I saw in Stoner, and replicate them. He has that ability to enhance specific aspects of his riding without compromising the strengths that are already his hallmark.”