Second in the World Championship and 16 points off the lead, Dani Pedrosa salvaged a difficult situation at the United States Grand Prix to add 11 valuable points to his tally. A crash during practice for the German Grand Prix disrupted the consistency of the Repsol Honda Team rider and broke his collarbone...

How is your body after Laguna Seca?

"Honestly, I'm very happy. Whenever you make a big effort and take risks like I did at the United States Grand Prix, getting good results and points is very rewarding."

You're 16 points off the lead. What evaluation do you make of the previous races?

"Overall I think the level has been good. We’ve ridden well, although we have not ridden every race to perfection and we have lost many points in the last three GPs. Perhaps our weak point has been consistency, but we are still fighting for the title. Heading into the second half of the season, we need to improve on this in the fight for the title."

In what ways do you think you and the bike have to improve in the second half of the year?

"In every race we've had some differences to the competition. There have been several factors influencing the behaviour of the bike, such as the heat, cold, etc., and it has been very difficult to compensate for that. In a few races have we seen complete equality; there has always been an advantage for Honda or Yamaha. That's why it has been very difficult as a rider to make a difference in that regard. However, we have managed second position. We can say that we have had good races, and we have focused on not making mistakes when we were not in a position to fight for the win."

How did the crash in Germany affect your season?

"We lost the ability to score points. We didn’t get any at Sachsenring and we lost some points at Laguna Seca due to injury. Hopefully everything is behind us now and in the second half of the season we can make a good run to the end of the Championship."

With riders like Marquez and Lorenzo, are errors recoverable?

"Luckily for me, they have also made mistakes. Maybe Marquez is the one who has made the least, and that is why he is the leader. You can see the trend of this World Championship, that he who makes fewest mistakes gets the most points. But, in case you make a mistake, you can always recover if the other rider does too. In fact, last year we did so, although it is much more difficult."

What has surprised you most about Marc’s adaptation?

"I am mostly surprised with how quickly he learns things; he does not take long to learn."

How do you approach the second half of the year?

"With enthusiasm and strength. With determination to have a good second half of the season and get good points at every race."

To win, do you have to suffer or have fun?

“Both! Mainly you have to have fun, you have to like what you do. But during the race there are times when you suffer.”

Will we see the Dani of the second half of 2012?

"I hope so. Now I have a few days to recover and recharge, which is the most important thing. We hope to be in top physical condition for the second half of the season, which starts with three races in a row. It is important to be physically fit, in order to be able to take things full-on over those three weeks."

Dani Pedrosa will be World Champion in 2013 if ...

"If I manage to ride every race well and not make mistakes. The important thing is to maintain a high level and keep it up until the end of the year. That can give you the Championship."