Pedrosa unfazed by Indy crashes

Dani Pedrosa said he did not let the string of massive crashes in Indianapolis MotoGP qualifying unnerve him before going out to take position for the American race.

Casey Stoner, Ben Spies and Nicky Hayden all had very violent accidents on the way out of Turn 13. Stoner has been diagnosed with torn ligaments in his right ankle, while Hayden was knocked unconscious briefly and is now receiving checks.

Pedrosa ultimately took pole by a tenth of a second over title rival Jorge Lorenzo.

"Today it was very tricky out there because the surface was very slippery. We were sliding all the way," said Pedrosa.

"Sometimes you'd feel like you had control of the slide and suddenly the bike would keep sliding. We could see many crashes, but it was important to keep cool and keep focused on riding.

"We did some good laps and I think the setting is quite good now. I hope to do quite well tomorrow."

With eight races to go including Indianapolis, Pedrosa currently trails Lorenzo by 23 points.