Pedrosa: We will all have Marco in our thoughts

Home favourite Dani Pedrosa will be chasing his third Valencia MotoGP victory this weekend, which would move him above Repsol Honda team-mate Andrea Dovizioso for third in the final standings.

However Pedrosa knows that Valencia will be far from a normal event, following the loss of Marco Simoncelli at the previous Malaysian round.

"Valencia will be a very special race for everybody," he said. "This weekend we will all have Marco in our thoughts and I hope the fans show their respect and appreciation to him, as the whole MotoGP family will do.

"Valencia is a track I like a lot and I'm looking forward to seeing all the fans there again. Last year I couldn't perform very well due to injury, but this time I hope to have a good race and finish the season in a good shape."