Rising star Pedrosa takes 250 crown.

Spanish motorcycle racing star Dani Pedrosa raced to a fourth place at the Australian Grand Prix, held at Phillip Island Sunday to claim the 250cc World Championship. At the age of nineteen years, and 18 days old Pedrosa is the youngest ever 250cc World Champion.

The highly talented youngster's quarter litre success follows on the back of his triumphant march to the 125cc title he won in 2003. Pedrosa is the first to achieve the feat since Carlo Ubbiali in 1960.

Quiet and deep thinking by nature Pedrosa was absolutely delighted with his successful season, at the post race press conference.

"For me this is a dream, but the reality is I'm the one who accomplished this but to have been able to do so I have to think of all the people in the dark corners," commented Padrosa. "People who helped me in very difficult moments and all the people in who helped me in racing, MoviStar and Honda, my team. We have all accomplished this. Of course all the people at the Blume Rehabilitation Residence in Espludas (Barcelona). The Doctors, physiotherapists, a lot of people however small their contribution, they all played an important part. I thank them all."

"Of course I wanted to win the race today, it would have been the ideal way to win the championship. That's what I tried to do but with the crash yesterday and the problem in the warm up then the wind late in the race I lost a little confidence and let Poggiali pass me to make sure I took the title. I was just trying to finish the race. When I crossed the line everybody was cheering and I started to shout inside my helmet. Then I looked for the people with the Spanish flag and the Champion tee shirt but I didn't know which corner they were at then I saw my friend Marcelo Carbone waiting for me and all was OK."

Pedrosa won the title in fairy-tale fashion at the circuit where just 12 months ago he crashed breaking both ankles, injuries which took five months to heal and badly hampered his preparations for his 250cc campaign. In fact Dani did not test his championship winning Honda RS250R-W until three weeks before the opening race of the season.

Pedrosa found it difficult to cope with not having daily contact with racing people, and motorcycles for five months at such a crucial point in his career. He need not have worried At the first test he was quickly up to the pace of his leading rivals for the championship.

The team then set of for the opening race of the 16-rond championship in South Africa.

"In a position to fight," said team manger Alberto Puig. "We started late and had little experience of the bike but the team had worked like animals to be ready, especially the rider who worked nine hours a day."

Pedrosa's performance at Welkom was astonishing as the youngster was not overawed by the huge increase in horsepower the 250 produced in relation to his 125cc mount of the previous year, or the reputations of his more experienced rivals. Dani stormed to a famous victory at Welkom to achieve what seemed impossible five months earlier.

"After five months without racing I found very difficult to get used to racing people again," said Pedrosa. "All winter I was thinking about coming back. Many people said I couldn't change to 250's, I wouldn't be able to do it. Over the winter I became so determined that I could. That was another reason why I was so happy with the win in South Africa. I didn't say anything to them at the time, I just kept it in my mind."

"I was surprised how quick I was," he said. "In the winter Alberto (Puig) told me it would turn out like it has - I would be fast in the opening races. He said a good rider has the power to show what he has to offer in the 250 class. In 125cc racing all the top riders are so close but in the 250 class you can really see the difference."

The debut race brought about huge expectations on the run up to the second round, his home grand pix at Jerez, particularly from the Spanish media.

However he was to disappoint them, and himself at Jerez when he crashed on surface water caused by torrential rain, while holding third position.

"In reality I crashed because we had problems in qualifying which prevented us from getting the best out of the bike," commented Pedrosa. "I wanted to hold my position because it was my best ever rain race. After that I said to myself, 'No more race crashes' this season."

He has been true to himself. He won next time out, at Le Mans in France, and then put to together a run of eight consecutive podium place finishes, including two victories, to take control of the championship, on his way to taking the title at Phillip Island.

The only blots on his record have been a two fourth place finishes. The first at the Portuguese Grand Prix where he suffered a slow puncture that ended his late race charge.

The second at Phillip Island Sunday when an electrical problem with his number one machine in the morning warm up forced him to use his reserve machine for the race. In between the two fourth place finishes Dani raced to victory in Japan, second place at Qatar, and another win at the Malaysian GP.

Pedrosa has ridden his 250cc debut season with a calm and calculated approach taking the maximum from each race without unnecessary risks racking up points while his more experienced rivals often threw caution to the wind in a bid for a single GP win.

Team manager Puig, himself a successful grand prix racer, has been a huge influence on Pedrosa's development from a raw mini-bike novice to double World Champion and is full of admiration for his young charge.

"After the accident at the end of last season Dani became a little more mature, much more self-confident," he said. "He has learned a lot, he is quick to understand changes to the technical aspect of the machine, and you don't have to tell him the same thing twice."

"From a racing point of view there is nothing more I can teach him. He knows how to move around on the bike and has a very good understanding of how to set up the machine, and race strategy. I'm there to help him only if he needs me. Sure we sometimes have different opinions about what to do about given things and he fights hard for his point of view. But sometimes I'm sure he listens to me, thinking. 'The old man has been there himself,' and accepts it." Puig quipped.

Pedrosa has listened to his mentor and put the advice to good use.

"I knew I had to be consistent, in all the races, always take the most points possible from a race," he said. "We have won races, taken podium places and I have profited from the mistakes of other riders. Sure we have made mistakes like others but the secret has been not only to take as much from the race as possible but also from qualifying."

The Champion is quick to share the credit for his title win.

"The team is very important," he continued. "If your mechanics love you they will die for you and I have a very good team around me. I give them 100% and they give me 100% in return. I never feel I am alone in this I get the very best from them "

With one race remaining in the series, the Grand Prix of Valencia on October 31, Pedrosa will have to delay his title celebrations. The youngster will not relax and will approach the race with nothing less than victory in mind, just as he and the Telefonica MoviStar team have done throughout the season.

Racing in front of a packed house of his fervent Spanish fans, few would doubt his determination to do just that and end his fabulous season in the best possible way.