Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa will return from injury at Phillip Island this weekend.

Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa will return to action at this weekend’s Iveco Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, fighting back after undergoing surgery to his collarbone fractured in Japan a fortnight ago.

After breaking his left collarbone at Motegi, Pedrosa found it difficult to sit out the Malaysian GP, but the extra week’s rest will allow him to arrive in Australia healthier and readier to race. He spent the Malaysia race week at home in Barcelona recovering from surgery to plate the collarbone.

The plan is for Pedrosa to arrive early in Australia to allow him to adjust to the time difference, as well as to rest. He’ll also continue to receive therapy on his neck and shoulders, which suffered trauma from the crash and ensuing surgery.

“It was hard to take the decision to not go to Malaysia, but after another week I feel it was the right thing to do because during these days my condition has improved quite a lot,” Pedrosa commented. “So I’m looking forward to getting to Australia and finding out how I feel on the bike.

“I will arrive at Phillip Island on Wednesday to have some time to recover from the flight and rest a little bit. I know it will be tough because Phillip Island is a very demanding track and also the weather conditions can play a big part, but I really believe it’s time to come back with my team and try to return to the high level of performance we had before the crash in Japan.

“After the operation I began rehabilitation immediately. The surgery was very successful and the plate was well fixed, so the main problem was not the collarbone but the stiffness in my neck and all around my shoulders. I’ve been having massage and doing exercises with my physiotherapist and I will keep this up in Australia.

“The championship is decided, but for us it’s still not over. The target now is to retain second place in the standings and continue working on the bike so that we arrive in good shape for the winter tests, when we will start working for next year.”

The Spaniard finished third in last year’s race at Phillip Island, where he won the 250cc race en route to his 2005 world championship.

After Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) clinched the championship in Malaysia, Pedrosa is no longer in the championship hunt, but he’s in a strong position to finish the 2010 campaign by equaling his career best second overall from the 2007 season.

In addition, he’ll continue to develop the Honda RC212V, which has become the most versatile machine in the field, in advance of the winter testing season.