Doctors Clear Pedrosa for Catalunya GP

Good news for all Dani Pedrosa fans out there, as the Honda rider was cleared by his doctors to participate in this weekend's Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya in Barcelona. Although he crashed out during the Italian Grand Prix less than two weeks ago and further damaged his knee, he confirmed he won't miss his home race in Catalonia for anything in the world.

“I didn’t want to miss this important date for anything in the world. On the one hand I wanted to ride because missing this race would mean losing too much ground in the standings, and also because I wanted to race in front of my fans, friends and family,” revealed Pedrosa, as reported by MotoGP's official website on Wednesday.

Pedrosa will come to Barcelona as winner of the 2008 race, a result which he's expecting to match during the upcoming weekend. While pointing out that competing in a race where he is considered favorite for the win is important to close the gap on the championship leaders, he also admitted he might not be 100% fit for race during the Sunday action.

Pedrosa hasn't climbed his Honda ever since he crashed out at Mugello, as he took on a medical programme set up by doctors Xavier Mir and Manel Ribas during the past two weeks. The aim was to relax his right leg ahead of the upcoming grand prix in Catalonia.

Pedrosa is currently 4th overall in the riders' classification, 33 points behind championship leader Casey Stoner and 24 points short of 3rd placed Valentino Rossi. The Spaniard is yet to win a race this season, having so far clinched 3 podiums in the first 5 rounds of 2009.