Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa reckons that getting back on his pushbike and going to see the Tour de France stage in Barcelona has given him the motivation to keep winning in MotoGP.

The diminutive Spaniard scored his first success of the 2009 season at Laguna Seca despite being almost caught by Fiat Yamaha's Valentino Rossi on the final lap.

He says the team has proved they have the pace to win races and is confident he can continue the winning ways despite still suffering from his various injuries.

"I’ve had some good results at this track and I take a lot of confidence into the race weekend at Sachsenring because we’re probably in the best shape we’ve been in for a while," said Pedrosa.

"The win in Laguna Seca was really important for me and the team because it proves we’ve been making progress and we now have the pace to win races. However, we can’t take anything for granted and I’m sure our rivals will be strong again and determined to fight back.

I really like the Sachsenring circuit too and, despite what happened last year, I think we can be competitive again here. I’ve had a good week since Laguna, and it was great to be able to go and see the start of the Tour de France stage in Barcelona on Friday.

I’ve been able to get back in training on the bicycle, and seeing the Tour gave me even more motivation. So I’m feeling confident for this weekend and I’m looking forward to Germany."