After undergoing successful surgery to his right wrist one week ago, Dani Pedrosa has begun his rehab period and, although he’s obviously not yet at 100%, he will join Marc Marquez in the United States to try and take part in the third round of the MotoGP World Championship in Austin. Pedrosa underwent a operation to his right wrist after suffering a crash in the Argentina GP.
Marc and Dani have strong records at the technical, 5.513 km Texas circuit. Marc took his first MotoGP pole and victory at the venue in 2013 and has continued to post flawless qualifying performances and victories there ever since, bringing his tally of consecutive successes in the USA to 11 across all classes. Dani has climbed the Circuit of the Americas podium three times out of the four occasions on which he has raced there.
The Repsol Honda Team, in turn, have a streak of 14 GP wins in a row on American soil, starting with Pedrosa’s Indianapolis victory in 2010.
Dani Pedrosa said, “Since the operation, I started feeling a bit better every day. I’ve been doing exercises to gain mobility and reduce the inflammation. Little by little I’m recovering muscle tone, and this allows me to see some progress. From here it’s difficult to know our real possibilities. We’re going to a difficult track and until I’m back on my bike I won’t be able to really know my situation. But what’s clear to me at this moment is that it’s well worth it to travel and try. An important part of my strength to go to Austin comes from your messages of support, so thank you very much to all of you.”
Current Rider Standings in 2018 MotoGP Championship
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Points | Team | Constructor |
| 1 | CRUTCHLOW Cal | 35 | GBR | 38 | LCR Honda | Honda |
| 2 | DOVIZIOSO Andrea | 4 | ITA | 35 | Ducati Team | Ducati |
| 3 | ZARCO Johann | 5 | FRA | 28 | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha |
| 4 | VINALES Maverick | 25 | SPA | 21 | Movistar Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha |
| 5 | MARQUEZ Marc | 93 | SPA | 20 | Repsol Honda Team | Honda |
| 6 | MILLER Jack | 43 | AUS | 19 | Alma Pramac Racing | Ducati |
| 7 | PETRUCCI Danilo | 9 | ITA | 17 | Alma Pramac Racing | Ducati |
| 8 | RINS Alex | 42 | SPA | 16 | Team Suzuki Ecstar | Suzuki |
| 9 | ROSSI Valentino | 46 | ITA | 16 | Movistar Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha |
| 10 | IANNONE Andrea | 29 | ITA | 15 | Team Suzuki Ecstar | Suzuki |
| 11 | RABAT Tito | 53 | SPA | 14 | Reale Avintia Racing | Ducati |
| 12 | PEDROSA Dani | 26 | SPA | 9 | Repsol Honda Team | Honda |
| 13 | SYAHRIN Hafizh | 55 | MAL | 9 | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha |
| 14 | MORBIDELLI Franco | 21 | ITA | 6 | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | Honda |
| 15 | ESPARGARO Pol | 44 | SPA | 5 | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM |
| 16 | REDDING Scott | 45 | GBR | 4 | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | Aprilia |
| 17 | NAKAGAMI Takaaki | 30 | JPN | 3 | LCR Honda | Honda |
| 18 | BAUTISTA Alvaro | 19 | SPA | 3 | Angel Nieto Team | Ducati |
| 19 | LORENZO Jorge | 99 | SPA | 1 | Ducati Team | Ducati |
| 20 | ABRAHAM Karel | 17 | CZE | 1 | Angel Nieto Team | Ducati |