P102
CN
III IN THE PADDOCK
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
S
o finally we know about
Dani Pedrosa. It follows
a couple of weeks of
fevered speculation, after he'd
lost his Honda ride and called a
conference in Catalunya on June
11—only to announce he had
nothing to announce.
The final word came Thurs-
day at the German GP. The little
feller will be quitting. After a ca-
reer in which he dominated the
smaller classes, but was always
the bridesmaid in MotoGP.
And a career in which Honda
has renewed his contract for
year after year, sometimes
seemingly against common
sense, but always with impres-
sive fidelity. Which was in turn
repaid by at least one win every
year.
This departure, perhaps not
entirely premature, is the latest
in a long and pretty mad transfer
season with some major sur-
prises. Not least when Yamaha's
superstar in waiting, Johann
Zarco, jumped ship to KTM.
Time will, of course, tell, but
at this stage that looks like a
major self-inflicted wound for
Yamaha, whose outwardly rather
odd decisions have been crucial
throughout.
Yamaha Racing started it by
NOTHING LASTS FOREVER
