This just in from Red Bull:
Dani Pedrosa is fully focused on claiming an elusive first MotoGP title this season as he bids to fend off a cluster of strong rivals on the track.
The Spaniard saw Repsol Honda team-mate Marc Marquez edge out Italian Andrea Dovizioso for his fourth crown in five years in 2017 and is making big sacrifices in the off season to win his first.
The 32-year-old, who has finished second overall three times in his career, revealed all in a wide ranging Sport und Talk chat for ServusTV at Hangar-7 in Austria.
He explained, “I go skiing in Switzerland often in the winter. This winter I couldn’t go, though, and I miss it a lot.
“I have been training fully and didn’t want any unexpected injuries. Since 2004, though, I have started doing cross-country training for cardio – it is a lovely atmosphere when you are alone in the snow.
“I am working every day to become world champion. The championship is very long and we will try from the first race to put our effort in.”
It is not just the skiing that the Sabadell native has had to put on the back burner with his love of off-road riding also taking a hit.
He added, “Throughout all my career, I have used motocross as a training method. Unfortunately it is always dangerous as you have the jumps and you can crash very easily. I don’t want to take the risk.”
And what physical activity does Pedrosa want to pursue most when his MotoGP career comes to an end?
He said, “The sport I will keep practising when I finish racing will be windsurfing. It is something I really love and I do it with friends.
“Björn Dunkerbeck is one of my friends and he gives me lessons sometimes! The adrenaline is so big, similar to when I race in MotoGP.”
The MotoGP season starts at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar on March 18.
