Dani Pedrosa: A KTM wild-card could be interesting…

Dani Pedrosa says it 'could be interesting' to enter a MotoGP race as a wild-card for KTM to enhance his test-riding work. Should he race in Austria, Pedrosa might find himself lining-up against former Honda colleague and new Yamaha test rider Cal Crutchlow...

Peter McLaren

06 Jul 2021

Dani Pedrosa Qatar MotoGP test, 10 March 2021
© Gold and Goose Photography

Will Dani Pedrosa finally be tempted into making a wild-card MotoGP entry for KTM?

Rumours have been gathering that the 31-time premier-class race winner has been pencilled in for a place on the grid at one of the upcoming Austrian rounds or Misano.

Pedrosa spent his entire grand prix career with Honda but then switched to KTM as a test rider after retiring at the end of 2018, where his input has been widely credited for helping turn the RC16 into a MotoGP winner.

While KTM has always stated that wild-cards would be available if Pedrosa wanted them, the Spaniard has previously declined all such offers.

But in an interview with Spanish newspaper disqualified from day one of the event after using a prototype 2020 engine.

The factory had been open about the Frenchman's use of a prototype powerplant, having been unaware that the engine homologation rules also apply to wild-cards.

Meanwhile, if Pedrosa does choose to enter the first Red Bull Ring round (August 6-8) he might not be the only former MotoGP race winner making a wild-card appearance.

Former Honda colleague Cal Crutchlow, now a Yamaha test rider, could be called-up in place of Franco Morbidelli at Petronas, with Assen substitute Garrett Gerloff unavailable due to a clash with his WorldSBK commitments.