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Dani Pedrosa reveals he won’t reach huge MotoGP career milestone with KTM
Dani Pedrosa says he has raced for the final time in MotoGP
MotoGP legend Dani Pedrosa will not reach a milestone 300 starts, as he confirms he will do no more wildcard outings in his role as KTM test rider.
The 40-year-old Spaniard made his MotoGP debut in 2006 and spent his entire full-time racing career with Honda.
Dani Pedrosa won 31 grands prix and was runner-up in the championship on three occasions, with many considering him the best rider never to win the title.
He retired from full-time racing at the end of the 2018 season, before taking up a role as official KTM test rider from 2019.
Pedrosa kept himself away from wildcard and replacement rides initially, though he eventually made his first start with KTM at the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix.
He finished 10th in that race, but wouldn’t make his next start until a wildcard at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix, where he stunned with sixth and seventh-place results.
Pedrosa raced again that year at Misano, narrowly missing the podium in both races with a pair of fourth-place finishes.
His most recent outing was the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix, where he inherited a podium in the sprint after Fabio Quartararo was given a tyre pressure penalty.
Pedrosa: “I think my time has passed”
The prospect of Pedrosa making a milestone 300th grand prix start was raised coming into this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.
Tech3 announced that Maverick Vinales would not start, as he continues recovery from a recent shoulder surgery.
It had planned to field KTM test rider Pol Espargaro, though he too is injured. In theory, that would have opened the door for Pedrosa to join Tech3 for the Jerez weekend.
However, in an interview with Diario AS, Pedrosa has confirmed that “my time has passed” and won’t make any more MotoGP race starts.
“In principle, no,” he said when asked if he would race again.
“In principle, I’m comfortable and happy with my work as a test rider.
“I did my wildcard entries, and now Pol is the one who has priority to do that, because he’s very keen to, and I think my time has passed.
“So, I understand that now it’s for the youngsters.”
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Dani Pedrosa says he has raced for the final time in MotoGP
MotoGP legend Dani Pedrosa will not reach a milestone 300 starts, as he confirms he will do no more wildcard outings in his role as KTM test rider.
The 40-year-old Spaniard made his MotoGP debut in 2006 and spent his entire full-time racing career with Honda.
Dani Pedrosa won 31 grands prix and was runner-up in the championship on three occasions, with many considering him the best rider never to win the title.
He retired from full-time racing at the end of the 2018 season, before taking up a role as official KTM test rider from 2019.
Pedrosa kept himself away from wildcard and replacement rides initially, though he eventually made his first start with KTM at the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix.
He finished 10th in that race, but wouldn’t make his next start until a wildcard at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix, where he stunned with sixth and seventh-place results.
Pedrosa raced again that year at Misano, narrowly missing the podium in both races with a pair of fourth-place finishes.
His most recent outing was the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix, where he inherited a podium in the sprint after Fabio Quartararo was given a tyre pressure penalty.
Pedrosa: “I think my time has passed”
The prospect of Pedrosa making a milestone 300th grand prix start was raised coming into this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.
Tech3 announced that Maverick Vinales would not start, as he continues recovery from a recent shoulder surgery.
It had planned to field KTM test rider Pol Espargaro, though he too is injured. In theory, that would have opened the door for Pedrosa to join Tech3 for the Jerez weekend.
However, in an interview with Diario AS, Pedrosa has confirmed that “my time has passed” and won’t make any more MotoGP race starts.
“In principle, no,” he said when asked if he would race again.
“In principle, I’m comfortable and happy with my work as a test rider.
“I did my wildcard entries, and now Pol is the one who has priority to do that, because he’s very keen to, and I think my time has passed.
“So, I understand that now it’s for the youngsters.”
MotoGP legend Dani Pedrosa will not reach a milestone 300 starts, as he confirms he will do no more wildcard outings in his role as KTM test rider.
The 40-year-old Spaniard made his MotoGP debut in 2006 and spent his entire full-time racing career with Honda.
Dani Pedrosa won 31 grands prix and was runner-up in the championship on three occasions, with many considering him the best rider never to win the title.
He retired from full-time racing at the end of the 2018 season, before taking up a role as official KTM test rider from 2019.
Pedrosa kept himself away from wildcard and replacement rides initially, though he eventually made his first start with KTM at the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix.
He finished 10th in that race, but wouldn’t make his next start until a wildcard at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix, where he stunned with sixth and seventh-place results.
Pedrosa raced again that year at Misano, narrowly missing the podium in both races with a pair of fourth-place finishes.
His most recent outing was the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix, where he inherited a podium in the sprint after Fabio Quartararo was given a tyre pressure penalty.
Pedrosa: “I think my time has passed”
The prospect of Pedrosa making a milestone 300th grand prix start was raised coming into this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.
Tech3 announced that Maverick Vinales would not start, as he continues recovery from a recent shoulder surgery.
It had planned to field KTM test rider Pol Espargaro, though he too is injured. In theory, that would have opened the door for Pedrosa to join Tech3 for the Jerez weekend.
However, in an interview with Diario AS, Pedrosa has confirmed that “my time has passed” and won’t make any more MotoGP race starts.
“In principle, no,” he said when asked if he would race again.
“In principle, I’m comfortable and happy with my work as a test rider.
“I did my wildcard entries, and now Pol is the one who has priority to do that, because he’s very keen to, and I think my time has passed.
“So, I understand that now it’s for the youngsters.”
[analyse_source url=”http://crash.net/motogp/news/1093339/1/dani-pedrosa-reveals-he-wont-reach-huge-motogp-career-milestone-ktm”]