When Jaume Girò, one of Repsol’s top managers, who recently left the Spanish oil company to head for the Caixa, one of Spain’s most important banks, Dani Pedrosa lost one of his most staunchest and oldest allys that he had in Repsol. Girò was almost a sponsor within a sponsor, he was the one that insisted on Repsol backing Pedrosa and he was the one took Pedrosa away from Telefonica back in 2005.

There was some discontent in Honda last year, bouncing around both Spain and Japan, regarding Pedrosa’s continuing and disappointing results and an ever increasing hostility towards Pedrosa and his manager/svengali Alberto Puig, it was Jaume Girò who intervened and protected the duo.

Now that Girò is no longer present, there has been some nervousness on the duo’s part because Giro’s departure has come at the wrong time. Pedrosa’s contract is up at the end of the year and their have been certain rumors running in the paddock that since Girò left, other Repsol managers have been trying to contact Jorge Lorenzo and bring him into HRC. Lorenzo is a top rider, he’s Spanish just like Pedrosa and certainly has better communicative and media qualities than Dani has.

But Arturo Sus, Vice-Director of Repsol Sports Sponsorship told the Spanish press during a filming of a commercial at Spain’s National Institute for Aerospace Technology: “We are betting on Pedrosa and we will support him for as long as it takes. And we have been with Honda for 14 years, and continued with them even after (Alex) Criville retired. This hasn’t changed nor do we believe it will change.”

With these words like these, it looks like that Alberto Puig can breath a sigh of relief and that his prodigy’s future in HRC seems to be safe.

It also seems that Andrea Dovizioso, just like Nicky Hayden before him, are not included in Repsol’s long term plans.

Source | motogpmatters and marca

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