Aleix Espargaro has described Dani Pedrosa as his ‘favourite MotoGP rider of all time’, despite his small build.
Pedrosa And Espargaro in 2011. It didn’t cross the road until 2009 when the latter first entered MotoGP. At that point, ‘Little Samurai’ was already a title contender.
Pedrosa has never won a premier-class titleIt failed to complete the lineup after its success in the 125cc and 250cc class, but is still considered one of the ‘Fabulous Five’ of the modern era.
It means understanding. Pedrosa was too young to ride MotoGP bikes.In contrast to the simple machines in the lower classes. Perhaps it is a pity that it has been raised against many famous riders.
Aleix Espargaro recalls Dani Pedrosa pulling ‘half a second’ in the straight
In an interview with Sports worldEspargaro says Pedrosa’s MotoGP achievements are ‘amazing’ given his physical limitations. He ranks fourth with 113 Premier League appearances.
Espargaro He explained that it is very difficult for his countryman to generate heat from the tires and bring the bike full of fuel.
But he had no problem with the board. Pedrosa remembers pulling ‘half a second gap’ on the straight because the bike was accelerating so fast.
“In my case, I’ve always been one of the taller riders and I’ve suffered a lot. “Throughout my career I’ve had to eat a lot and lean a lot to keep up my speed.
“My favorite MotoGP rider is Dani Pedrosa. He doesn’t have any titles, and everything he’s achieved for me is incredibly impressive. It’s amazing how competitive a rider who weighs 60 kilos and a little bit can be. It was a real struggle for him.”
“Everything has its pros and cons, and that’s part of the sport, and it always will be.
“I raced with Dani Pedrosa, and as soon as I fixed the bike on the straight, it was impossible to catch him, he would pull half a second ahead.
“However, in the cold, it was incredibly difficult to warm up the tires, or move the bike with the tank, especially with no fenders.
“Bigger riders have a big advantage in the wet because we can carry less weight, we get more heat in the tires, or it’s a little easier to maneuver when there’s less grip on the track.”
Who are the toughest MotoGP riders on the 2026 grid?
Torak Razgatlioglu’s stature has already given Yamaha some headaches. After changing from the world superbikes. He is believed to be the heaviest driver on the grid at around 80kg.
There is a big gap for Yamaha factory rider Alex Rins and Gresini’s Fermin Aldeguer (72kg). Three riders weigh in at 69kg: Honda duo Joan Mir and Luca Marini and Rins’mate Fabio Quartararo.
At the other end of the scale are Razgatlioglu’s fellow rookie Diogo Moreira and 2024 Moto2 champion Ai Ogura (60kg). As Espargaro explained, having him in the middle like the Ducati pair of Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez (64kg) is very important.
