KTM names wild-card events for Dani Pedrosa, Pol Espargaro
Dani Pedrosa to re-join the MotoGP grid at Jerez, Pol Espargaro to make KTM wild-card debut at Mugello.
KTM has officially confirmed wild-card MotoGP race appearances for its star test riders Dani Pedrosa and Pol Espargaro in the upcoming rounds.
As rumoured, Pedrosa will return to action in the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez on April 26-28, with Espargaro making his wild-card debut in the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello on May 31-June 2.
Pedrosa delighted his home fans by finishing 6th in the Sprint and 7th in last year's Jerez race, crossing the finish line just six seconds behind the Grand Prix winner.
He also excelled during another wild-card later in the year at Misano, with a pair of 4th places on the debut of the carbon fibre chassis.
“I had a lot of fun at Jerez last year and the welcome from the fans was amazing," said Pedrosa, a 31-time MotoGP race winner during his full-time grand prix career with Honda from 2006-2018.
"We all know Jerez is a special place. For us, it will also be important to use some references for our tests and put it into the race environment again. This is the main reason to compete in 2024.”
Espargaro will be competing for the first time since stepping back from racing after last year's Valencia finale, having made way for star rookie Pedro Acosta at GASGAS Tech3.
“Really happy to be racing again and especially at Mugello, which is a very special place to get on a MotoGP bike," Espargaro said. "It will be cool to be back on the grid with the guys.
"Testing has been going really well and I’m very motivated. I am more like my ‘old self’ after the injury of 2023.
"I’m looking forward to being right back into the MotoGP ‘family’ and showing that our testing work is strong and fast.”
KTM - like Aprilia, Yamaha and Honda - has a maximum of six wild-cards available this season.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
