The following statement is from HRC regarding Dani Pedrosa’s need for additional arm pump surgery, which will cause him to miss a minimum of two upcoming MotoGP races. His replacement will be Hiroshi Aoyama. Here is the statement from HRC:
Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa will unfortunately need further surgery to fix his arm pump issues that continued to plague the Spanish rider during the first round of the 2015 MotoGP Championship. This common problem among motorcycle racers is a build-up of pressure in the forearm causing great pain, and makes riding a bike exceptionally difficult when the muscle becomes too big for the ‘sack’ that it sits in.
Dani tried very hard over the winter in order to find a solution, after struggling to perform at his top level throughout the 2014 season, and even had surgery last year – after the Jerez GP – but it was unsuccessful. During this time doctors advised against any further surgery. Then throughout all the Winter testing it seemed that in theory the problem was solved, unfortunately the issue came back again under the stresses of the race situation.
After his sixth place finish in the opening race of 2015 in Qatar last weekend, Dani returned to Spain on Monday and met with specialists in Barcelona and Madrid. Their recommendation was for him to undergo surgery as soon as possible, which Dr. Angel Villamor will perform in Madrid. Special attention will be paid to the closing of the wound as this will guarantee better recovery and less risk of the problem arising again in the future.
Surgery is planned for the morning of Friday 3rd April with an expected recovery time of four to six weeks, this means Dani will certainly miss the Red Bull Austin and Argentina races. His return to racing won’t be confirmed until doctors can ascertain the success of the surgery.
His replacement will be HRC test rider Hiroshi Aoyama.
Dani Pedrosa 26
Rider – MotoGP
“Obviously this isn’t the news I wanted to be sharing with everyone. However, after speaking with some key doctors and medical professionals that I trust, they are all in agreement that this is the only option for me. We will have the surgery on Friday and they will use a special technique to help close the wound to try and prevent this issue continuing to affect me. Let’s hope it’s a success. I want to thank all my fans for their support, but especially Honda, Repsol, Red Bull and all our sponsors for their understanding in this matter.”
Honda pushed Hayden out after scaling their bikes to Dani’s size…
Sorry to see Pedrosa out, that’s one guy out who had at least the potential to slow Marquez somewhat. It’s up the Ducatis and Yamahas now.
Recruit Hayden
Just read on another website that Stoner WAS considered by Honda to replace Pedrosa, but then they were concerned about the drama that would make if they did it.
You saw it here first:
If Pedrosa doesn’t come back from this surgery showing that he has a chance at beating anyone with any consistency, this will be his last year as a factory HRC rider.
WOW, what an insightful prediction…unbelievable!!!
Yeah, bold prediction. And exactly what Pedrosa has said himsefl: he can’t and won’t run at top level if this problem doesn’t get fixe.
Arm pump is an interesting issue as it seems to come and go for so many riders.I’ve suffered from it many times and always thought it was stress related and aggravated by competition. Lots of practice never seemed to be a problem even though going race distance. in the heat of the battle the old enemy came roaring back..
The of course there is the fact that i was never a pro at any type of mc competition.
I hope Dani’s surgery takes care of the problem, and that he returns soon.
It caused the end of Freddie Spencer’s road racing career for all practical purposes. But he got it after winning both the 250 & 500 World Championships in the same year.
When I was looking it up last night to see exactly what it was and what kind of surgery cured it, the article said it mostly affected men, moto x and road racers and that it usually showed up 7 minutes into a race. Not 5 not 10, not shortly after the beginning of the race, but 7 minutes. Found that interesting.
7 minutes? That’s pretty interesting, I never read that either. My understanding is the surgical correction is practically a standard procedure in the pro mx crowd. Didn’t realize it afflicted the road guys, nor have I heard about it in MTB racing, where they ride much more rigid bikes for 2+ hours, though there are usually significant relief periods between rough sections.
Yea 7 minutes. I thought that interesting as well that they listed a specific amt of time.
the article I read listed rowers, weight lifters and a few others. Not sure if MTB riders were listed but that makes sense.
Arm pump surgery went out of fashion in MX in the 90’s. I’m sure some have had it, but its not the norm, far from it.
I wonder why this condition never effects OG’s who cut their grass with push mowers…? or even landscapers who spend 10 and 12 hours a day operating those 48″ walk behinds…? dunno maybe it does, but they just call it being tired.
I ran that kind of equipment for a few summers. Never got arm pump, some wicked hand blisters the 1st week every year though.
In all fairness, a self-propelled commercial mower is much easier to hang onto than a 50hp MX bike, having experienced both.
Wishing Dani the best of luck and a quick recovery.
Why not toss Hayden in there for kicks…? Love to see what he could do with that level of machinery.
Nicky’s not part of the factory Honda team any more. Thought I like your idea.
Would like to see Hayden and Rossi go head-to-head again. Although Rossi is three years older than Hayden. Hmmm!