Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa has dealt with arm-pump issues for years, and the condition progressed tremendously during 2014 MotoGP.
Speaking of the nagging issue, Honda says “this a 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.”
The factory Honda RC213V pilot struggled throughout 2014, eventually undergoing surgery. But this didn’t work, and the three-time Grand Prix Champion was in pain throughout winter testing. But doctors advised Pedrosa to not undergo any further surgery.
The pain continued into the opening round of 2015 MotoGP in Qatar, where Pedrosa struggled to a sixth-place finish. After consulting with specialists in Barcelona and Madrid last week, Dr. Angel Villamor requested that Pedrosa head for surgery right away.
Honda reports that “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.”
Replacing Pedrosa and joining two-time MotoGP Champion Marc Marquez on the Repsol Honda team will be official HRC test rider Hiroshi Aoyama.
“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,” Pedrosa says.
“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.”
