Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa will return this weekend at Estoril in Portugal.

Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa will return to racing this weekend in the Portuguese Grand Prix at Estoril, with Rizla Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi also completing the field.

Spanish star Pedroda, who broke his left collarbone in a crash at the Japanese GP on 1 October, attempted to race at the Australian GP this month but had to withdraw from the event because the shoulder was too painful and too weak for racing. The injury had been pinned and plated in Barcelona the day after the accident.

Pedrosa is a famously brave rider, prepared to grit his teeth whenever necessary to reach his chosen goals, but Phillip Island was a race too early for the former 125 and 250 World Champion. Following his abortive Australian trip the 25-year-old Spaniard is hoping he will have recovered sufficiently since then to defend his second place in the 2010 MotoGP World Championship.

“We get back on track this weekend at Estoril and, in principle, the situation should be much better than it was for me in Australia,” he said. “The Estoril circuit is not as demanding as Phillip Island and this should help me to feel more comfortable on the bike. Plus I’ve had some more time to recover which should help too.

“This kind of injury needs time to heal and with two more weeks having passed I’m really looking forward to seeing how much the shoulder has improved. I went to visit the doctor last Tuesday to have the stitches removed, and the scar is fine.

“I’ve been doing some more rehabilitation on the muscles and I have some more strength, but I will not be able to fully judge how much difference there is until I get on the bike on Friday morning. I’m looking forward to getting there with my team and seeing how I feel.”

Capirossi will compete at the Portuguese Grand Prix this weekend even though he has been diagnosed with fractures to the right foot he injured in Malaysia, on top of the groin injury he sustained in Australia.

The Italian racer returned early from the Australian event after crashing heavily and injuring his Adductor muscle. Capirossi visited the clinic on his return home to have the injury checked and also had a scan on his foot to fully understand the cause of his pain.

This revealed a compound fracture of the Cuboid bone, two micro-fractures of the fourth Metatarsal and severe bruising to the Calcaneus and lateral Cuneiform bones. Although Capirossi is still in some discomfort from the injuries, he is determined to compete this weekend at Estoril.

“It was disappointing to find out I had got some small fractures in my foot, but it won’t stop me riding, because I was okay in Australia and it didn’t cause me too many problems there – in fact it is easier to ride the bike than it is to walk,” he said. “I have had some intensive treatment on the thigh muscle and that is also a lot better.

“I can’t wait to get back on my bike and give the guys something back for all their patience and hard-work over the season, especially after the tough three-week tour we had on the other side of the world which gave us nothing but pain and bike damage. Suzuki and the team have always been good to me and I want to show them that I am here to do my best and compete with the best riders.”

Practice in Portugal will commence on Friday morning, the series reverting to two sessions on Friday for the final two rounds and into next season.