Shocked Pedrosa: I was lucky

Dani Pedrosa said he was very lucky not to get injured at the Styrian Grand Prix, where he was involved in a burning motorcycle accident.

The Spaniard returned as a KTM wildcard racer after a two-year break from racing in MotoGP, and on Sunday's race he fell in the third turn and got stuck in the middle of the track, while other motorcycles whizzed past him until Lorenzo Savadori drove to the crash site. , which collided with a motorcycle and fell, and both engines caught fire. The race was suspended and Savadori injured his ankle in the fall, so we won’t see him at the Austrian Grand Prix next week.

Pedrosa was lucky as he was able to start the first race after the 2018 Valencia Grand Prix again with a spare motorcycle, finishing in tenth place. “The first start was tough because I don’t know why I fell,” he explained. “In the third lap, I may have driven off the track a bit, or the tires were too cold as I was driving with a hard compound that was not ideal for these cold conditions. As I drove into a bend I simply slipped and spun in the middle of the track, and Savadori unfortunately crashed into my engine and injured himself. But I was very lucky myself. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a position like this before, so I was a little shocked when motorcycles whizzed past me on both sides. Fortunately, the outcome was very good for me. "

Racers had already warned of the danger of the track before the race, and Sunday's Styrian Grand Prix was the third consecutive MotoGP race at this racetrack, which was interrupted by a red flag due to a serious accident. Racers agree that it would be necessary to work on the safety of the racetrack, but Pedrosa’s accident could happen anywhere. “It can happen on any track,” said Cal Crutchlow, who replaced the injured Franco Morbidelli on the Petronas SRT team.

Jack Miller has a similar opinion: “Today was a little different, because such an accident can happen on any racetrack where someone falls, because we take it very close together. I don't think the configuration of the track is to blame for the accident, "the Australian added.