KTM CONFIRMS WILDCARD APPEARANCES FOR PEDROSA AND ESPARGARO
KTM announced that Dani Pedrosa will feature for the team in Motogp’s Spanish Grand Prix as a wildcard, with Pol Espargaro to compete in the Italian Grand Prix.
Despite retiring from competitive racing at the end of 2018, Pedrosa’s contract with KTM in a test riding role saw him participate in two rounds as a wildcard last term.
Pedrosa impressed on his first wildcard appearance at Jerez, his first race there in over six years. The Spaniard finished sixth in the Sprint and seventh in the main race. Those solid results inspired another impressive run on his second outing in San Marino, where he missed out on a podium place as he classified fourth in both events.
“I had a lot of fun at Jerez last year and the welcome from the fans was amazing,” said Pedrosa. “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.”
Meanwhile, Espargaro will follow suit with his wildcard appearance at the Italian Grand Prix, having missed out on a full-time seat for the 2024 season. The Spaniard is in a good place after his severe accident in Portimao at the start of the previous campaign which led to him missing out on half the season.
“Really happy to be racing again and especially at Mugello, which is a very special place to get on a Motogp bike,” Espargaro noted. 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.”
With the new concession rules that were introduced for 2024, KTM’S ranking of C means the Dutch marque has the opportunity to field Pedrosa and Espargaro in up to four more races.