AFP/Madrid

Honda MotoGP rider Dani Pedrosa is set to take time away from the track to try and find a solution for a recurring pain in his right forearm.
The Spaniard finished sixth in the first grand prix of the new season in Qatar on Sunday.
However, Pedrosa, who had an operation on the same injury after last season’s Spanish Grand Prix, said he could no longer continue riding until he found a cure for the problem.  
“It is evident that I cannot continue riding in this way because I cannot give my best. I have suffered this situation for a while and it is very difficult to continue competing like this,” he said.
“The team know the situation and it has reached the point where I have to look for a solution to the problem once more. I don’t have the answers right now to how it will go, but I need to try and find the way to fix it.”
Pedrosa added that he had sought the opinions of numerous doctors in the off-season in an attempt to ease the pain he suffered during last season when he finished fourth in the world championship.
“Since last year I have had a lot of problems in my right forearm and have suffered a lot in silence.
“I have tried everything to fix it. As you know last year I had an operation in the middle of the season which didn’t help men at all.
“The situation last season was very difficult. I had a lot of problems in every race.
“At the end of the year I travelled around the world meeting different doctors to find a solution for my arm. Almost none of them recommended an operation, so I followed their advice trying to improve the arm with some techniques other than an operation.”
Despite never winning the world championship, Pedrosa has had a very successful MotoGP career, winning 26 races and finishing runner-up in the championship race three times.
The second grand prix of the campaign takes place in Austin, Texas, on April 12.