KTM confirm ‘Wildcard’ MotoGP entry for Dani Pedrosa for home race

Dani Pedrosa confirmed as a wildcard entry for the KTM Factory Team at Jerez

KTM confirm ‘Wildcard’ MotoGP entry for Dani Pedrosa for home race

Dani Pedrosa

Dani Pedrosa is one of the most successful MotoGP riders from the modern era. The Spaniard won the 125CC Championship title in 2003 and consecutive 250CC Championship titles in 2004 and 2005 on his way to MotoGP. Unfortunately, Pedrosa could not reproduce his junior category success in the premiere class. He managed to finish runner-up in 2007, 2010 and 2012 but the revered MotoGP crown remained elusive.

After a few seasons of unsatisfactory results, Honda decided not to renew the Spaniard’s contract. This prompted Pedrosa to take an early retirement from the sport in 2018. He joined the KTM factory team as a test and development rider soon after being released by Honda. He made his first ‘wildcard’ appearance for Red Bull KTM at the Austrian Grand Prix in 2021.

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A wildcard refers to the rider who makes an appearance in addition to the complete field. Whereas a replacement rider is one who steps in to replace a rider in the existing field. According to MotoGP regulation, each manufacturer is permitted to a maximum of 3 wildcard entries per year, with the exception of manufacturers qualifying for concessions. Currently, Aprilia is the only manufacturer with 6 wildcard entries per season.

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Related: Brad Binder believes that 2023 will be KTM’s best chance to win the MotoGP championship

Dani Pedrosa will return to MotoGP at Jerez

Dani Pedrosa
Dani Pedrosa

Recently, KTM Team Manager, Francesco Guidotti announced the manufacturer’s intentions to run Pedrosa as a wildcard entry at the MotoGP round in Jerez. In a press release, the Italian said, “I received confirmation a few minutes ago that Dani will have a wildcard in Jerez, so it means how important he is for us and the contribution he can give to us is high. Pedrosa is a strong boy with a strong mentality, so you cannot force him to do a wildcard. So we developed the motorcycle together and we always said that if he wants to do a wildcard, we are happy,”.

Guidotti also expressed his delight at Pedrosa’s apparent belief in the KTM program. “If you can combine the race, Dani and our test team, together with the other boys and you work on future development parts, it’s super good and super important, so I’m excited that he’s ready to do a wildcard. Reading between the lines, he would not do a wildcard if he thought the bike wasn’t competitive so I hope he gives us the right signal for that”. he said.

Pedrosa will be eyeing a strong performance with the KTM RC16, having previously raced the bike in 2021. Red Bull KTM is not permitted to have wildcard entries at consecutive events, hence Pedrosa’s upcoming wildcard appearances remain to be a matter of uncertainty. Undoubtedly, Pedrosa brings with him abundant experience. The 37 year old feels he still has much to give to the sport.

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