Okay, so maybe Dani Pedrosa does lack the flash of some in the GP paddock. You could rightly say that Valentino Rossi possesses more charisma in his little pinkie than the diminutive Spaniard, but I’ve always thought Dani P gets something of a bad rap. Sure, there was that time he nearly destroyed Nicky Hayden’s title hopes. And, true, that Albert Puig character generates a lot of ire. But maybe, just maybe what is interpreted as dour pouting by Pedrosa is really just shyness?

Anyway, there’s no questioning that Pedrosa, like anyone else making a living riding a MotoGP bike, is faster ‘n snot on the racetrack. At Barcelona Pedrosa recently faced off against fellow countryman and Red Bull Air Race competitor, Alejandro Maclean, for a spirited ride around the track.

Before the race, Pedrosa took a spin in the Maclean’s Red Bull Air Race plane. Where afterward Pedrosa, get this, cracks actual real-life smiles talking about the experience!

See what pilot finished first in the unique race in the video below.