After several years of being reticent to return to racing following his retirement, current KTM tester Dani Pedrosa, winner of 31 MotoGP races, will contest the Spanish Grand Prix as a wild card in 2023. The Austrian manufacturer also hopes to be able to convince him to contest a second race, in the San Marino Grand Prix to be held on 10 September at Misano.
Pedrosa retired at the end of the 2018 season after thirteen seasons of racing for Honda in the premier class. In 2019 he signed with the Mattighofen-based company for the test and development program and in 2021, after three years without racing, he returned as a wild card in the Styrian Grand Prix, held at the Red Bull Ring. There he had caused a red flag because a crash in the first laps had caused a fire on his RC16 and Lorenzo Savadori had been involved in that accident. Far from scared, Pedrosa returned to the grid at the restart, finishing the race in tenth position.
Although there were many rumors of his appearance in 2022, Pedrosa did not return to racing. But when it seemed impossible to see him in the race at the age of 37, KTM announced the Spaniard’s participation as a wild card in Jerez a few weeks ago. This news has visibly increased ticket sales for the Andalusian appointment.
Under current wild card regulations in MotoGP, there can only be two invited riders per grand prix and no team can feature invited riders in two consecutive events. In fact, there must be 90 days notice prior to the tender chosen to present the request. Bearing in mind that there are five builders and that everyone has the right to ask for a wild card, being foresight is the key to obtaining it.
Dani Pedrosa, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Photo by: Dorna
At the moment, for 2023 the only wild card accepted and confirmed is that of Dani at Jerez, according to the official MotoGP page. It also warns that “it is important to bear in mind that there is a maximum of two wild cards per Grand Prix and, at this time, some events may have more than two requests. This means that, despite what some teams have said, that’s not necessarily the case. All applications at this time are subject to Grand Prix Commission approval.”
In addition to confirming that Dani Pedrosa’s presence is assured, the official page also reveals that “KTM team manager Francesco Guidotti confirmed to motogp.com that he would like to have Pedrosa as a wild card also in the San Marino Grand Prix”. This would therefore be his second appearance of the season, with a registration for which he has until 10 June. In addition to the two-time world champion (once in 125cc and once in 250cc), other teams are also aiming to enter riders as wild cards.
“Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi said the Borgo Panigale manufacturer wants its test rider Michele Pirro to race alongside his brand mates in both the San Marino GP and the Italian GP. Tardozzi also suggested that the Assen appointment could be an option for Pirro,” the page informed. “Paolo Bonora, Aprilia Racing team manager, confirmed that the Noale-based manufacturer would like Lorenzo Savadori to join the team at Mugello, Assen and the Austrian Grand Prix”.
Those who have not made any requests at the moment are Honda and Yamaha to enter their test riders, Stefan Bradl and Cal Crutchlow respectively.
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