Pedrosa launches his children's book

Motorcycle racers and literature aren’t normally the strongest of bedfellows. Sure, a few riders have collaborated on biographies, but I can’t seem to recall Kevin Schwantz revving himself up for a 500GP by reading what Mr Darcy was up to in Pride and Prejudice.

Spain’s Dani Pedrosa, the three-time world GP champion and current MotoGP factory rider for Honda, may have broken the mould. Yesterday in Barcelona, the 25-year-old launched the children’s book entitled Two elves for Dani Pedrosa, which tells the story of his introduction into the world of racing.

The book is based on little Dani’s joy in receiving a very special Christmas gift when he was only five years old. Under the tree Santa Claus had left a motocross outfit, but also two of his most trusted elves, Tim and Tom. It was their job to stay with Dani and help him take his first steps into the world of motorcycling and guide him to become a true world champion.

The book is aimed at children aged between 6 and 12 years and goes on sale in Spanish and Catalan. A portion of the profits will be going to a non-government organisation helping children.

“When I was asked to make a dedication to the readers, I thought that it’s a story about how dreams come true,” said Pedrosa. “Since a young age when I saw the races on television, my dream was to become a rider -- and what began as a game has finally become my life.

“All children have dreams and the most important thing is to keep trying to reach those dreams, however difficult they may seem. Then, the effort is also important because talent alone is not enough. These are important values you learn as a child.”