Dani Pedrosa ‘strong and fast’ ahead of Jerez MotoGP wild-card

It’s not yet official, but everything points towards KTM test rider Dani Pedrosa making another wild-card entry during his home Spanish MotoGP at Jerez.

Pedrosa, a 31-time MotoGP race winner for Honda before retiring and switching to KTM testing duties, thrilled the home fans by leading opening practice, qualifying sixth and finishing a competitive sixth (Sprint) and seventh (GP)in the races.

With Pol Espargaro now sharing test and wild-card duties, the exact schedule for each is unclear, but KTM motorsport director Pit Beirer all but confirmed Pedrosa will be on a third factory RC16 at Jerez.

"I think so,” Pit Beirer told Dorna’s Jack Appleyard, when quizzed on a 2024 Pedrosa wild-card at Jerez.

“Dani was already testing for us again at Jerez this week.

“I feel he's getting ready for that. We will never push him to do a race, so at the end the last call is always on his side to say, ‘I want to go’.

“But he's pretty strong and fast. I feel he is ready. He just needs to say’ yes’.

“We are ready for him."

After last year’s Jerez heroics, Pedrosa, 38, then performed even more strongly at Misano in September. He finished a fraction from the podium in both races during the public debut of the factory’s carbon fibre chassis. 

The location of Espargaro's first race appearance since last year's Valencia finale is still unclear.