Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa will make his race debut on Bridgestone tyres and the pneumatic-valve Honda RC2112V next weekend at Indy.

Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa will make his race debut on Bridgestone tyres and the pneumatic-valve Honda RC2112V during next weekend's inaugural Indianapolis Grand Prix.

Hayden, who will remain on Michelin tyres, has race-developed the delayed pneumatic engine since Donington Park, while Pedrosa has remained on the valve-spring design, with which he has taken two race wins.

Pedrosa tried the less-refined pneumatic for the first time during testing at Misano, when he was 0.7secs quicker than he had been on the valve-spring bike.

"Indianapolis will be a very important weekend for us, but it's hard to say much about the track because we know so little about it," said Pedrosa. "My first test with Bridgestone went well. After leaving Misano we have worked with the data in order to make the best possible start at Indy.

"We only have four hours of practice on a completely new circuit, with new tyres and a new machine, so we will have to work very hard to make sure we get the best out of the package on race day.

"I have heard that the track isn't very grippy and it seems like there are quite a few tight and slow corners, so handling of the machine will be important. Anyway, we will do our best as always. And it will be good to ride in front of the American fans after I had to pull out of the Laguna GP due to the injuries I got in Germany," he added.

"Dani got a good feeling from his new tyres and the pneumatic-valve engine at the Misano tests, so now we look forward to more progress. At Indy he will need all his ability to set-up a machine quickly," said team manager Kazuhiko Yamano.