MotoGP | Pedrosa at his 19th Spanish GP: here are his numbers in Jerez

Few drivers of the modern era can say they have contested their home grand prix for more than 20 editions, the list begins and ends with Valentino Rossi, who raced at Mugello 24 times between 1996 and 2021, winning in nine occasions. If we go further back in time, Angel Nieto raced the Spanish Grand Prix 21 times, with 11 victories between 1964 and 1986. In this case however, the venue of the GP changed and Nieto regularly participated in different categories in the same year . Loris Capirossi also raced the Italian GP 20 times, between 1990 and 2011, with a single victory in 2000.

No one currently in business comes close to this figure, only Dani Pedrosa, who after retiring in 2018 returned to racing as a wild card in his new role as a KTM tester. He will return to the track again this weekend to contest the Spanish Grand Prix, which will be his 19th. Who knows, maybe he will make 20 appearances in Jerez in the next few years.

The Spaniard's first date with a world grand prix held in Jerez was on 6 May 2001. Pedrosa had been given a place in the 125cc championship through the training cup, the Movistar Talent, in which he failed to place. Despite this, the program managers understood that the pilot had the talent and quality to become an interesting project. They were right.

After debuting that year in Japan (where he finished 18th) and in South Africa (where he took 13th position), Pedrosa achieved his first top 10 at the 125cc Spanish Grand Prix, his third appearance in the world championship with the Telefonica Movistar Jr. Team. The race was won by Masao Azuma, ahead of Lucio Cecchinello and Gino Borsoi, current team managers of LCR-Honda and Ducati Prama respectively.

In his early days as a rider, the Jerez circuit was not one of the most congenial to Pedrosa, who finished fourth in the following two years, including in 2003, when he became 125cc world champion, his first world title. He didn't win, in fact he crashed, not even on his 250cc debut in 2004, the year in which he won his second title, first in the intermediate class.

Pedrosa's first victory in Jerez came in his fifth year in the world championship and second in 250cc, on 10 April 2005, the first race of that season. The Catalan won on a Telefonica Movistar team Honda ahead of Sebastian Porto and Alex De Angelis, with Andrea Dovizioso fourth, Jorge Lorenzo sixth and Casey Stoner crashing with 13 laps to go.

From there, the idyll between Pedrosa and Jerez was incredible: for ten consecutive seasons, the last nine in MotoGP, the Catalan always reached the podium, with three victories (2005, 2008 and 2017), five second places and two thirds .

The real mediation between Pedrosa and Lorenzo

His debut at Jerez in the premier class was in the memorable 2006 race, when he fought for victory with then veteran Loris Capirossi (Ducati) until the final laps of the race, finishing second. The first MotoGP victory came in 2008, an iconic triumph ahead of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo. That race went down in history due to the attempt by the then King of Spain Juan Carlos I to reconcile Dani and Jorge by having the two drivers shake hands.

Iconic moment before the podium of the Spanish GP 2008, when the champion Juan Carlos tried to calm down Pedrosa and Lorenzo

Photo de: Pantallazo TVE

In 2015 he didn't race due to an injury that stopped him for a few races and in 2016 he finished fourth, but Pedrosa wanted to give a boost by winning the Spanish Grand Prix in 2017, ahead of Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo again. In his last active season, 2018, Pedrosa did not finish the race due to a fall with eight laps to go.

When the story between Dani and Jerez, a circuit where he also has a named corner (Curve 6), seemed over, life gave a new opportunity to this relationship. Thus, in the role of KTM tester, Pedrosa took part in the 2023 Spanish GP, with a seventh place finish and a very impressive performance. The story will continue this weekend with presence number 19 in what will be his 220th Grand Prix in the world championship, where he boasts 54 victories and 153 podiums.

All Dani Pedrosa's appearances at the Spanish GP in Jerez

Dani Pedrosa, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Photo de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images