Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa will miss the next two MotoGP races due to arm pump.
Rumours that Pedrosa was suffering from arm pump started circulating during the Qatar race, and following the event, Honda’s rider confirmed he was going to need surgery to correct the problem. That’s bad news, because he’s going to miss the upcoming Austin and Argentina GPs; it’s also bad news, because it means previous attempts to cure the problem didn’t work. Pedrosa had problems with arm pump in 2014, even undergoing surgery after the Jerez round. Now, he’s going back under the knife, today.
Pedrosa is expected to take four to six weeks to recover, but he won’t be returning to racing until doctors are sure he’s recovered.
While the news is bad for Pedrosa, it’s good for Honda Racing Corporation test rider Hiroshi Aoyama. Aoyama will replace Pedrosa at the next two rounds; he’s a natural choice, given his familiarity with the factory bike.
Arm pump is a common injury for motorcycle racers; basically, arm pump occurs when the muscles of the forearm become “pumped up” while controlling the motorcycle, growing larger than their containment membranes. It’s also found in off-road racing.
