KTM tester Dani Pedrosa could be set for his first wildcard appearance since joining the manufacturer in 2019 according to the marque’s motorsport director Pit Beirer.
Pedrosa has been an integral part of KTM’s MotoGP project as a test rider since retiring from full-time premier class competition at the end of the ’18 season, the Spaniard one of the main catalysts for the rise in competiveness of the brand within MotoGP over the past couple of seasons.
KTM has won four races across the past two campaigns-its most recent coming courtesy of Miguel Oliveira in Barcelona three weeks ago-though to date Pedrosa has elected to say away from the lime-light and not partake in any wildcard race events, leaving any competitive outings to fellow test rider Mika Kallio.
Speaking to German publication Speedweek, the Austrian says that we will “definitely” see Pedrosa venture out for his first race outing on the RC16, Beirer insisting that the 31-time premier class race winner “told us he wanted to do it,” though a set date and venue for his competition return is yet to be confirmed.
“We will definitely see Dani this year,” said Beirer.
“We will eventually do a wildcard with him as soon as we think the package for 2022 is ready for it.
“We want Dani to come back to a GP circuit, nevertheless the final decision rests with Dani Pedrosa himself.
“He has to tell us if he wants to expose himself to the pressure and stress of a GP weekend again, but he told us he wanted to do it.
“We would not have pushed him in that direction, he apparently wants to compete with the other MotoGP guys again.
“However we have not yet agreed on a fixed point in the GP calendar for which this race should take place.
“I expect Dani to say at some point in the next two or three tests ‘Hey, the new bike and I would be ready, I would like to ride a wildcard now.”
Should Pedrosa make a racing return later this season, it would be his first ever motorcycle grand prix event not at the controls of a Honda.
All his 236 starts across a 13-season career came with the factory Honda organisation with its RC213-V machine, with all his prior contests across the lower 250cc and 125cc classes-including three successive titles across both categories from ’03 to ’05- also coming on Honda equipment.
Kallio has managed to capture strong results in past wildcard outings with KTM, a best of tenth coming at the ’17 Austrian GP as well as the ’18 Spanish GP at Jerez.
KTM hasn’t entered an official wildcard entry since the ’18 German GP, Kallio’s scheduled appearances the following term being cancelled as he stood in for the departed Johann Zarco alongside Pol Espagraro, while no wildcards were allowed last year as a result of staff restrictions imposed as a consequence of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
