Pedrosa to undergo surgery to fix arm issues

Dani Pedrosa has taken the decision to undergo further surgery on his right arm in an attempt to fix his arm pump condition.

Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team and Yonny Hernandez, Pramac Racing

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Team and Yonny Hernandez, Pramac Racing and Bradley Smith, Monster Tech 3 Yamaha and Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team

The decision will force the factory Honda rider to miss at least the next two rounds of the 2015 MotoGP championship.

This isn't the news I wanted to be sharing with everyone

Dani Pedrosa

With the problem flaring up near the beginning of last year's championship, Pedrosa underwent surgery after the Spanish GP at Jerez.

This helped for the remainder of the season and winter testing, but the problem returned during last weekend's season opener in Qatar.

Despite holding onto sixth position in the Qatar race, Pedrosa took the decision to undergo surgery after returned to Spain on Monday to meet with specialists in Barcelona and Madrid.

Their recommendation was for him to undergo surgery as soon as possible, which Dr. Angel Villamor will perform in Madrid.

Arm pump is a common problem among motorcycle racers: it is a build-up of pressure in the forearm causing great pain, and makes riding a bike exceptionally difficult when the muscle becomes too big for the 'sack' that it sits in.

Special attention will be paid to the closing of the wound as this will guarantee better recovery and less risk of the problem arising again in the future.

Surgery is planned for the morning of April 3, with an expected recovery time of four to six weeks, meaning Pedrosa will certainly miss the Austin and Argentina races.

Honda has confirmed that Pedrosa's replacement will be its official test rider Hiroshi Aoyama, who will fill in until doctors give Pedrosa the all-clear.

Pedrosa unhappy with decision but left with no other option

Speaking after making the decision Pedrosa said: "Obviously this isn't the news I wanted to be sharing with everyone.

"However, after speaking with some key doctors and medical professionals that I trust, they are all in agreement that this is the only option for me.

"We will have the surgery on Friday and they will use a special technique to help close the wound to try and prevent this issue continuing to affect me.

"Let's hope it's a success. I want to thank all my fans for their support, but especially Honda, Repsol, Red Bull and all our sponsors for their understanding in this matter," he added.