Dani Pedrosa Issues Public Apology After Arrest: "I Made a Mistake"

By David Emmett | Mon, 02/04/2012 - 21:02

Dani Pedrosa has issued a formal apology to his fans over his arrest for attempting to cheat during an exam for his yachtmaster certification. In a written statement from his lawyers and disseminated to the Spanish media, Pedrosa stated that he had "taken some bad advice and made a mistake."

"You can either ignore or learn from mistakes," Pedrosa's statement read, "and I have learned from this one. I would like to publicly apologize to my followers and all those who have shown faith in me." Pedrosa's statement went on to say that he hoped to put the situation behind him, and focus entirely on the first race of the season at Qatar. He repeated that he had learned his lesson from the situation, and now wanted to look forward to the future, and concentrate on the upcoming season.

A spokesperson for HRC described the issue as "a personal issue" and reiterated that everybody makes mistakes. Pedrosa will fly from his home in Switzerland to Qatar, to participate in the first race of the season at Qatar, which takes place on Sunday, April 8th.

http://www.europapress.es/deportes/motociclismo-00311/noticia-motocicli…

MotoGP
Honda
Dani Pedrosa

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Comments

... the 2 happiest days for any boat (yacht) owner are the day they buy it & the day they sell it. I'll go out on a limb and say this was the worst day for Dani!

None of this matters if he wins this year. If not then he's even more of a lame duck until Marquez gets his GP ride. That's 2 years away because of the factory team rule. As for cheating on the exam, it was dumb but if he produces on the track all will be forgiven.

Whether or not someone advised him it was O.K. to cheat on an exam or not he still decided to cheat. Most people learn this is grade school, if not from their parents or guardians. Cheating for a yachting test? Did he not know to extend the little finger when sipping cocktails? Red-right-returning is too hard to remember? Perhaps you mean his character will not effect how he rides a motorcycle? I disagree, character matters - it is what defines you.

I have little doubt that if Stoner stays healthy Dani and Mr. Puig will not win the World Championship. Character matters, even in moto matters.

100% in agreement with you regarding character and I do not condone these actions, especially considering I have a Yachtmaster Ocean certification. It was a lot of work, time, dedication and studying and I can tell you that its not as easy as Red, Right, Returning and sipping cocktails properly. That information is covered in the Thurston Howell III elective class ;).

Its actually a very difficult and depending on your test level, time consuming process. Its not show up, sit for a test, pass and go. This is one of the requirements I had to meet to even be allowed to take the Ocean certification test: " A minimum non-stop distance of 600 nautical miles must have been run, the yacht must have been at sea continuously for 96 hours, and the yacht must have been more than 50 nautical miles from land while sailing a distance of at least 200 nautical miles."

There are 2 certification levels below Ocean, but even those are not "easy." I dont know or care which level Pedro was taking. Its unacceptable to cheat on any tests, but particularly these yachting tests because you will, at some point, be accountable for actual PEOPLE out on the sea. And in an emergency, it is your job as the Captain to maintain order and delegate responsibility in those times.

Not to sound snobbish, but there is a VERY big difference between "yachting" and "pleasure boating."

I recommend starting with the Thurston Howell III class. You will learn how to make a proper martini (Its made with Gin, not Vodka, just saying), the proper pronunciation of the the name "Muffy Dearest," and how to get Gilligan and the Skipper to do everything for you.

Why would you risk so much for so little?

You only get one chance at a reputation... Poor little fella, but should we consider 'standing on a box' to see over the steering wheel thingy, cheating?

I just wouldn't have thought it possible from Danni....

Dumb as... sometimes, these bike riders.

I thought the exam should have been plain sailing for Dani. Maybe the quartermaster didn't like the cut of his jib ? He's not-quite washed up as a GP rider yet, he'd keel for a few wins this season.

Oh well... it's an ill wind.

How would Dani feel if someone who wasn't qualified was accepted onto the MotoGP grid?

There are skills required for handling boats and skills required for handling bikes, just because he can ride a MotoGP Honda does not mean he is capable of taking a Sunseeker around the Med!

With all the money Pedrosa makes, why even take the test? He could hire somebody qualified to captain his boat (if he has one) for less than the amount of money he could end up losing after this whole fiasco gets investigated.