Dani Pedrosa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dani Pedrosa
Pedrosa at the 2018 Valencian Grand Prix
Nationality	Spanish
Born	(1985-09-29) 29 September 1985 (age 39) Sabadell, Spain
Current team	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (Test rider)
Bike number	26
Website	danipedrosa.com
Motorcycle racing career statistics MotoGP World Championship Active years 2006–2018, 2021, 2023–2024 Manufacturers Honda (2006–2018) KTM (2021, 2023–2024) Championships 0 2023 championship position 21st (32 pts) Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 220 31 112 31 44 3015 250cc World Championship Active years 2004–2005 Manufacturers Honda Championships 2 (2004, 2005) 2005 championship position 1st (309 pts) Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 32 15 24 9 15 626 125cc World Championship Active years 2001–2003 Manufacturers Honda Championships 1 (2003) 2003 championship position 1st (223 pts) Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 46 8 17 9 5 566

Daniel Pedrosa Ramal (born on September 29, 1985) is a Spanish motorcycle racer. He stopped competing regularly after the 2018 season. Dani grew up in Castellar del Vallès, a small town near Sabadell in Spain.

He is a three-time World Champion. He won the 125cc world championship in 2003. Then, he became the 250cc world champion in 2004. He was the youngest person ever to win it! He won the 250cc title again in 2005.

Today, Pedrosa works as a test and development rider for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. He even raced again as a special "wildcard" rider in 2021 and 2023. He finished well in these races, showing he still has amazing speed.

Dani is most famous for his time with the Repsol Honda Team in the MotoGP class. He finished second in the championship three times: in 2007, 2010, and 2012. He is one of the most successful modern MotoGP riders. He has won 31 MotoGP races and stood on the podium 112 times.

In 2019, a corner at the Spanish Circuito de Jerez racetrack was named "Curva Dani Pedrosa" in his honor. Many people say he is the best MotoGP rider who never won the main MotoGP World Championship. In 2022, Pedrosa also competed in car races, driving for FFF Racing Team in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe.

Dani Pedrosa's Racing Journey

Starting Young: Dani's First Bikes

Dani Pedrosa was born in Sabadell, Catalonia, Spain. He started riding bikes when he was just four years old. His first motorcycle was a small Italjet 50 with side-wheels. When he was six, he got a mini-bike that looked like a Kawasaki. He used it to race with his friends.

At age nine, Dani entered the Spanish Minibike Championship. He finished second in his first season. He even got his first podium finish in his second race! The next year, he raced again, but health problems meant he finished third.

Becoming a 125cc Champion

In 2001, Dani joined the 125cc World Championship. He was chosen from a special program in Spain that helps new racing talent. With the help of Alberto Puig, Dani finished on the podium twice in his first year.

The next year, he won his first race and finished third in the championship. In 2003, he had an amazing year. He won five races and became the 125cc World Champion with two races left! He earned 223 points that season. Just a week after winning the championship, Dani broke both of his ankles in a crash. This happened during practice at Phillip Island, which ended his season early.

Winning Twice in the 250cc Class

After winning the 125cc title, Dani moved up to the 250cc class in 2004. He didn't have much time to test his new bike because his ankles were still healing. Even so, Dani won the very first race in South Africa! He went on to win the 250cc World Championship title. He was even named "Rookie of the Year" for being the best new rider. In his first 250cc season, he won 7 races and finished on the podium 13 times.

Dani decided to stay in the 250cc class for another season. He won another championship in 2005, again with two races to spare! That year, he won 8 races and got 14 podium finishes. He did this even after hurting his shoulder during practice for the Japanese Grand Prix.

Racing in MotoGP: The Top Class

Pedrosa on his Repsol Honda RC211V at the 2006 Australian Grand Prix

In 2006, Dani moved to the top class, MotoGP, riding for Repsol Honda. Some people thought he was too small to handle the big, powerful MotoGP bikes. But Dani proved them wrong! He finished second in his very first MotoGP race in Jerez.

At his fourth MotoGP race, the Chinese Grand Prix, he won! This made him one of the youngest winners ever in the top class. He won his second MotoGP race at Donington Park. He became a strong contender for the championship. He even shared the podium with the famous Valentino Rossi for the first time. Dani also got two pole positions (starting from the very front) in the first half of the season.

Later in the season, Dani had a tough crash during practice in Malaysia. This hurt his knee badly. He still finished third in that race. However, his performance dropped in the next races. In Portugal, he crashed with his teammate Nicky Hayden. This crash ended Dani's small chance of winning the championship. But Hayden recovered to win the championship, and Dani finished 5th overall. He was named "Rookie of the Year" for MotoGP.

2007-2009 Seasons

Dani continued to race for Honda in 2007. He finished second in the championship, behind Casey Stoner and ahead of Valentino Rossi. He signed a new contract to stay with Repsol Honda for 2008 and 2009.

In 2008, Dani had more injury problems before the season started. But he still began well with a podium finish. He was leading the championship when he crashed in Germany and got hurt. This made him miss two races. He finished third in the championship that year.

The 2009 season also started with a crash and injury for Dani. He slowly got back to full fitness. He won two races and finished on the podium 11 times. He ended the season in third place overall.

2010-2012 Seasons

Pedrosa at the 2010 Dutch TT

For 2010, Dani changed his racing number back to 26. This was his original number and what his fans wanted. He won four races in 2010 and finished second in the championship, behind Jorge Lorenzo.

Pedrosa at the Portuguese Grand Prix, where he took his first win of the season

In 2011, Dani won his first race of the season in Portugal. But in the next race in France, he crashed with Marco Simoncelli. This crash broke Dani's collarbone, and he missed several races. He came back strong, winning two more races in Germany and Japan. He finished fourth in the championship.

The 2012 season was a great one for Dani. He finished on the podium in six of the first seven races. He won his first race of the season in Germany. He then won two more races in Indianapolis and Brno. Dani signed a new contract to stay with Repsol Honda and race alongside Marc Márquez. He won a total of seven races that year! He finished the 2012 season as runner-up to Jorge Lorenzo. He scored 332 points, which was the highest number of points ever for a rider who didn't win the title at that time.

2013-2015 Seasons

In 2013, Dani continued with Repsol Honda with his new teammate, Marc Márquez. He won races in Spain, France, and Malaysia. However, he missed the German race due to an injury. He also crashed out of the Aragon race after touching Márquez. He finished third in the championship.

Pedrosa at the 2014 Motorcycle Grand Prix of the Americas

Dani started the 2014 season well, with four podium finishes in a row. He won his first race of the season in the Czech Republic. This win ended Marc Márquez's amazing 10-race winning streak. Dani finished fourth in the championship that year.

In 2015, Dani had surgery for a common problem called "arm-pump" and missed some races. He returned to racing and slowly got back to his best. He got his first podium of the season in Catalunya. Dani then achieved his 50th career win in Japan! This meant he had won at least one race for 14 seasons in a row. He also won in Malaysia. Dani finished fourth in the championship.

2016-2018 Seasons

Dani continued with Repsol Honda for the 2016 season. He had a difficult year with new tires and a tricky bike. But he still managed to win at least one race, keeping his streak alive for 11 years in the top class. He won in San Marino. Unfortunately, a bad crash in Japan broke his collarbone and other bones. This ended his season early. He finished sixth in the championship.

In 2017, Dani won two races (Spain and Valencia) and had seven other podium finishes. He ended the championship in fourth place.

The 2018 season was tough for Dani. For the first time in his MotoGP career, he didn't win any races or get any podiums. He finished 11th in the championship, his lowest ever. Honda decided not to renew his contract for 2019. At the German Grand Prix, Dani announced he would retire from MotoGP at the end of 2018.

Life After Motorcycle Racing

In late 2018, Dani Pedrosa joined the KTM Factory Racing team. He became a development test rider for 2019 and 2020. This was a big change after his many years with Honda. At first, he said he wouldn't race as a wildcard. But later, he said he would consider it if KTM needed him to test their bike in a real race.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, wildcard entries were not allowed in 2020. But when the rules changed, Dani returned to the MotoGP grid as a wildcard at the 2021 Styrian motorcycle Grand Prix. He finished in tenth place.

Trying Out Car Racing

In March 2022, Dani Pedrosa announced he would try car racing! He competed in three rounds of the 2022 Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe with the Rexal FFF Racing Team. He drove a Lamborghini Huracán in the Pro-Am class. His co-driver was Antonin Borga.

In his first race at Imola, he finished 9th in his class. In the second race, he finished 4th. He had some crashes in later races. At the final rounds in Portimão, Dani and Antonin finished second in one race. This was Dani's first podium in car racing! They finished third in the Pro-Am standings.

After his first season, Dani said he wasn't planning to continue car racing right away. He felt he wasn't good enough for faster GT3 cars. But he thought he might do well in a "prototype" car, which is a different type of race car.

In 2023, Dani also competed in the 2023 GT2 European Series. He drove a KTM X-Bow GT2 for KTM True Racing. He finished 11th in one race and 7th in another.

Battling Injuries: A Tough Challenge

Throughout his career, Dani Pedrosa has faced many injuries. He often got hurt in crashes, which sometimes stopped him from competing for championships. These injuries were a big challenge for him. For example, he broke his ankles in 2003, his collarbone in 2011 and 2016, and his wrist in 2018. He had many surgeries to recover from these injuries.

Dani's Racing Numbers

Race Results by Year

Results in Different Race Classes

Detailed Race Performances

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

* Season still in progress.

Car Racing Adventures

Car Racing Summary

Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe Results

Year	Team	Co-Driver	Car	Class	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Pos.	Pts.	Class Pos.	Pts.
2022	Rexal FFF Racing Team	Antonin Borga	Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2	Pro-Am	IMO1 9	IMO2 4	PAU1	PAU2	MIS1 Ret	MIS2 Ret	SPA1	SPA2	CAT1	CAT2	POR1 6	POR2 2	?	?	3rd	?

GT2 European Series Results

Year	Team	Car	Class	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Pos.	Pts.
2023	KTM True Racing with Reiter Engineering	KTM X-Bow GT2	Pro-Am	MNZ1	MNZ2	RBR1	RBR2	DIJ1	DIJ2	POR1	POR2	VAL1 11	VAL2 7	LEC1	LEC2	13th	12

See also

In Spanish: Dani Pedrosa para niños