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Think You Know Dani Pedrosa?

Holla a todos! Hello all! Gue balik nih setelah UTS selesai. Gak nanya wi! Iya iya gak usah sewot gitulah, kalem bro kalem. Dari judulnya udah tahu kan gue mau bahas apa? Iya, gue mau mbahas aa kasep yang satu ini. Siapa lagi kalau bukan Daniel Pedrosa Ramal alias Dani Pedrosa. Pria kelahiran Sabadell, 29 September 1985 ini sukses menggetarkan hatiku. Cie cie. Nggak usah cie cie. Iya man, gue ngepens sama dia. Gak nanya wi! Iya iya. Lanjut ya! Gue mau tanya kalau kamu liat Dani Pedrosa, apa yang langsung kepikir di pikiranmu? Mungil, imut, ganteng, cute, senyumnya beuh, serius, kenapa gak pake umbrella girl, apa dia homo? Kalem bro kalem. Semua akan dijawab sama dia lewat interview sama Moto Line Magazine selanjutnya disingkat MLM. Here's what Dani had to say in that interview. Kamu bisa check langsung ke TKP dimari. Are you ready? Hold on tight!

MLM: Hi Dani, how are you?

Dani: Hi guys, I’m good thanks. How are you?

MLM: We’re great thanks. You ready?

Dani: Yep. Let’s go.

MLM: Okay, first question. You’ve got a huge following in Asia, why is that?

Dani: (laughs) I don’t know! I don’t know why, but I’ve been in Indonesia twice and I don’t know what happened! I’m not really sure what I did there, but I saw I had a lot of fans. I saw when I was there and I can see on my Twitter, but yeah, I’m not sure. Maybe we should ask them? (laughs)

MLM: Good idea! It’d be great to know how you did it.

Dani: The first time I went was in 2010 and already it was crazy.

MLM: Okay, we’re in Phillip Island so we may as well ask you this one, what’s the first thing that springs to mind when you think of Phillip Island?

Dani: The place itself or the track?

MLM: You pick.

Dani: Well it’s a cold place (pretends to shiver). I always think “why do we come here at this time of year?” you know?

MLM: It’d be much better in April, like around the Superbike time here.

Dani: Yep, exactly.

MLM: And what about the track? You’ve had some good and bad memories here?

Dani: Yeah definitely mixed. It’s not really my favourite track.

MLM: What is your favourite track?

Dani: (answers immediately) Jerez! I love the corners, I really enjoy it very much there.

MLM: What about racing at home with the Spanish fans?

Dani: That too, I really enjoy that too.

MLM: Is it more pressure?

Dani: No, I use it to my benefit, to my advantage.

MLM: Is it more distracting though racing at home circuits with your friends and family there?

 

Dani: No not really, not with them. But there are much more fans there so it’s a lot busier in the paddock. Like here it’s pretty calm, but in Spain it’s much busier. In Spain it’s at a whole new level. You can barely walk! There are interviews and it’s where we have the most fans and it’s where you feel the most connection with the fans.

MLM: What are you like with the crowds?

Dani: (laughs) I mean it’s hard to manage sometimes. You start on Thursday and there’s already a lot of people, Friday even more. Then on Saturday with Qualifying there’s more, plus you’re busy with the press, so you’ve already had 3 days like this keeping up with it all. Then on Sunday it’s crazy! So by Sunday you’re already tired.

MLM: With the crash at Aragón you said you had a lot of pain, are you still feeling it?

Dani: Yes, I mean it’s not as much, but yes. I really have to choose my chair carefully (laughs). Some chairs, it’s impossible…

MLM: You said something about a pillow for your seat on the bike?

Dani: It’s more like a cushion, but yes I’m using it.

MLM: The initial report said a suspected left knee injury but in your blog you mentioned hip and groin pain. What actually hurts?

Dani: The injury is the hip and groin. I’ve torn the muscle from here (points to inside his right thigh) up through the pubis (hip) and into my abdominal.

MLM: Ouch! Does it hurt in the corners?

Dani: Yep, the right turns hurt.

MLM: How was the new surface here?

Dani: It’s not so bad, actually it’s much better. It’s much less bumpy and has more grip so you get way more feeling.

MLM: The first time we met your trainer had just started you on High Intensity Interval Training and you said you hated it but loved it because it was over quickly. Are you still doing that?

Dani: (laughs) No I change my training a lot. Now I’ve been racing for so many years my body has adjusted to it so I don’t need the same type of training as I did back then. It really depends on which part of the season we’re in. I do a lot more volume just before the season, then a little less as the season progresses. Every year you need to change it up.

MLM: How do you maintain your fitness over the season with all the travel and racing?

Dani: You really need to find the balance. I mean you have to keep up your training, but you also need to rest so you’re not fatigued. Sometimes you have 3 races in a row each weekend, then you have on on, one off. The rhythm is hard to get used to. It’s a real balancing act but you have to find it so you don’t go overboard.

MLM: Is it easier for you and for the other riders who’ve been racing for a long time?

Dani: Yes of course. For me it’s been very similar year to year, except sometime you also have injuries to deal with. It’s not always easy to find your peak right at the perfect time.

MLM: On your Sunday nights after the race, depending on the result of course, what do you want to do? Celebrate? Go to sleep?

Dani: In any case I don’t really go to sleep straight away. If I win I want to go and celebrate with my team. It’s the time I can be with them and it’s relaxed and good. If I don’t get a real good result I’m not in the same mood, but I try anyway. I go with my team and try to switch my brain off so I can relax. But for example last week in Sepang, I was so tired after the race I tried to go out with my team but I ended up falling asleep! (laughs)

MLM: It was really good to see you fired up like that. The photo on Instagram (@hrc_motoGP) was priceless.

Dani: Ah yeah, that was just after the podium.

MLM: So the heat tired you out? Is it the hottest circuit you go to?

Dani: It’s soooo hot there. Qatar is hot too, but it’s different. It’s not the same feeling.

MLM: So we told our readers to fire their questions for you to us and we’d pick the best three. Here they are. The first one is from @SAVROSSI41 (Instagram). The day you won the 250cc Championship here in 2005, do you remember how you celebrated?

Dani: Ah yes, you mean on the podium?

MLM: After the race.

Dani: I stayed in my hotel room because I had so many interviews on between here and Europe. They’re on a completely different time zone so it went really late. I tried to also celebrate with my team, so I was switching between that and the interviews. So it wasn’t the best party! (laughs)

MLM: Second question; A lot of people asked this one, Why don’t you use umbrella girls on the grid?

Dani: (grins) Well….(laughs) The story was that in the past the girls needed grid access, so that meant a special pass. We had to decide between giving it to another mechanic who could help out if something went wrong, or a girl. So we thought it was more important to have the mechanic. Now the rule has changed but I didn’t know! (laughs) I only found out a few races ago. So this position is now vacant, but it’s a prestigious one! (laughs) You know I haven’t had one for so many years, the first one has to be perfect!

MLM: How are you going to pick that?

Dani: Ahhh, I’ll have to have a ranking system. (laughs)

MLM: Like, “Send in your photo…”

Dani: (laughs) No, no, it’s personality too! I have to meet them and then decide.

MLM: Over dinner, movie and popcorn?

Dani: (laughs loud)

MLM: Last question also came from loads of people too; Do you talk to yourself during the race?

Dani: Never! Once the race is on I never open my mouth. I know some of the riders do. They shout and they scream and they talk. For me it’s all internal. I’m more the quiet type.

MLM: Are you more the shy guy or is that not really the case?

Dani: I used to be really shy, especially in my very early twenties. But now I’m more and more not like that

MLM: One last cheeky question Dani. Will you do a dance for us on the podium?

Dani: Well I’ll need some music to do a dance. (grins)

MLM: Thank you so much for your time Dani. It’s been a pleasure.

Dani: Thank you! Catch you soon