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The international press make Pedrosa into Stoner`s big rival
The World MotoGP Championship has started like last year`s finished: with a victory for Casey Stoner. The Ducati rider confirmed how strong he himself and his team are this year and how well prepared they are to retain the title. However, it should not be so easy for him this year as he will have more riders breathing down his neck. Of all these the international press has its eyes fixed on the Spanish Repsol rider Dani Pedrosa as the man who can beat the Australian.
The race that the Repsol Honda rider put in last weekend in Qatar did not go unnoticed by anybody. The Spaniard went to Losail having trained less than any of the other riders after picking up an injury during the pre-season. But the work done on the days running up to the GP race were not altogether positive and he had to start in eighth place on the grid. Nevertheless, from the very first moment Pedrosa left everyboody amazed with his spectacular start –moving up to first position.
There were doubts right up to the last moment abouut which bike he would use, but in the end he went out onto the track with the new 2008 bike, that is in spite of it not being totally developed. All in all Pedrosa got caught up in a fascnating duel with Valentino Rossi and in the end managed to leave him trailing in his wake and got close to the two riders in front of him, Stoner and Lorenzo, finishing the first race of the year on the podium.
The Spaniard is the big favourite to win the next race in the calendar, the Spanish GP in Jerez. The international press speaks of Pedrosa as the man who has the talent to snatch the title away from Stoner and his Ducati and they expect the Repsol rider to win in Jerez. Even more so after seeing how weak Valentino Rossi apparently is. The Italian has been criticised in his own country and is under threat from the young Jorge Lorenzo who rides the same bike. But Dani Pedrosa`s experience and quality have made him into the Australian`s biggest rival.
3/13/2008
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