Pol Espargaro will take part in his third MotoGP wildcard of the season at next weekend’s San Marino Grand Prix in Misano.
Fellow KTM test rider Dani Pedrosa brought the RC16 close to the podium at Misano a year ago with two fourth places on the debut of the factory carbon fibre chassis.
Pedrosa was back in action for KTM’s first wildcard outing of the year at Jerez, taking third place in the damp sprint race. Espargaro then took over the RC16 prototype for outings at Mugello and Austria.
Espargaro, who retired from full-time racing at the end of last season to make way for Pedro Acosta, has previously finished on the Misano MotoGP podium for KTM (2020) and Repsol Honda (2021).
“Mugello meant we could get back to MotoGP speed and then we felt much more competitive at the Red Bull Ring where we did a lot of test laps,” said Espargaro, who challenged the fastest RC16 riders in practice and qualifying on his way to 9th and 11th race placings.
“Misano is another familiar track and I am delighted to be back on the grid after the work we did in Austria.
“We need to confirm some data under race conditions and also do what we can to help the guys – Brad and Jack – with their setup for the two GPs we have there.”
Thanks to KTM’s C-concession rank, Espargaro can use a different engine configuration than the full-time racers. His RC16 was also equipped with different aerodynamic, exhaust and suspension parts in Austria.
The C concessions – which are also available to Aprilia – allow up to six wildcard opportunities per season, with KTM having two left after Misano should the company decide to use them.
An official post-race test will be held on the Monday after the San Marino GP. Two weeks later, MotoGP will return for a second round in Emilia Romagna, replacing the cancelled event in India/Kazakhstan.
