Pedrosa: "Yamaha Was My First Choice"

Although both Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso signed extensions to their current deals with Repsol Honda soon after the Gran Premio Cinzano di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini – one-year worth each – only the latter seemed to be enthused about it. Dovizioso will complete his first season with Honda this year and was ecstatic when offered the chance to prove himself once again for Honda's works team next year.

As for Pedrosa, however, the Spaniard will enter his 5th consecutive season with HRC in 2010 with the same goal he had when he first joined the premier class back in 2006: win the championship. As this was never the case in the last three and a half years, it's only natural for Pedrosa not to be too excited about his new deal.

As confirmed by himself during a recent interview with Italian TV channel Italia1, Pedrosa's first choice was Yamaha. The only reason why he chose to stay at HRC was because there was no racing spots left at Honda's rivals. Both Valentino Rossi's and Jorge Lorenzon's deals run out at the end of 2010, so Honda was the most logical second choice for him at the moment.

“Simply because there was no room at Yamaha, that would have been good,” Pedrosa said for the aforementioned TV station when asked about his decision to stay with HRC.

“Besides, I've given Honda my faith for one more year to see if they can make the bike better. Otherwise, after one year without improvement, maybe it'll be over,” added the Spaniard.

Yamaha, Ducati, Honda and Suzuki have all confirmed their riders' lineup for next season, meaning there are no more works' rides available for 2010 as of this Sunday.