(Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)
Having not won a Moto Grand Prix for over a year, the pressure on Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso must have been immense. It was perhaps this pressure that caused both riders to fall at exactly the same corner last time out in Holland, and with Valentino Rossi in impressive early form, it looked unlikely that Honda would finally end their drought at Laguna Seca.
But Dani Pedrosa produced a dominant display at the US GP in California, reminding us once again of his prodigious talents on a motorcycle. Pedrosa's lightweight frame may have contributed to an outrageously quick start that saw him catapulted up to first position, and from then on he did not look back.
The Spanish rider pulled away from early rival Casey Stoner, who seemed to suffer badly in the latter stages of the race, dropping to fourth and confirming the injury he sustained earlier in the weekend—and even the great Rossi was unable to do anything about the speedy Spaniard.
On the final lap, Rossi, who had survived a challenge to second place from teammate Lorenzo a couple of laps earlier, nearly managed to overturn a three-second deficit, almost leading to another unbelievable last-corner move. But Pedrosa was surely pacing himself, and he hung on to claim a vital win for the Japanese manufacturer, who can now let out a huge sigh of relief.
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