Dani Pedrosa did not expect to make a second surprise appearance at the MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix, but he found his test data with KTM intriguing. Despite retiring from full-time racing in 2018, Pedrosa took on the role of KTM test rider and participated in a few races as a special guest. In the previous season, Pedrosa competed in the Spanish GP and the San Marino GP, where he showcased his natural talent by finishing fourth and seventh, respectively. During a press conference before the race weekend, the 31-time race winner expressed his unexpected participation, stating it was due to interesting test results. He mentioned: “I am excited to be here at this fantastic GP and looking forward to starting tomorrow.” Pedrosa further explained: “Honestly, I did not expect to race again after last year. However, the tests produced some intriguing results, which led us to choose to participate once more.”
When asked by Autosport about the “interesting” aspect, Pedrosa responded: “Well, it’s hard to judge speed when you are racing alone during tests.” He continued: “But we have some components to test, and these are significant components that need to be evaluated under more stressful conditions. This will allow us to assess the results and determine if we can handle them effectively. In normal tests, you have the whole day to make adjustments and modify the bike. So, with this new format, it is much more demanding, as we saw last year. Therefore, that is one of the reasons.”
KTM had a successful start to the season, with Brad Binder securing a podium in Qatar, and rookie Pedro Acosta securing podiums in the last two rounds at Portimão and Circuit of the Americas. These podiums contributed to KTM’s current second position in the constructors’ championship. Acosta is currently the highest-ranked KTM rider in the championship, holding fourth place.
Pedrosa acknowledged that it is challenging to determine whether the updates he is testing will improve the KTM bike, especially considering the lap time records being broken in 2024. He stated: “It’s difficult to assess from this perspective because things are different when you are alone on the track.” He further explained: “That’s why we want to assess the bike’s performance and have a better sense of it this weekend. This year, lap times and race pace have improved significantly compared to last year. We need to take this into account and adapt, as almost everyone is half a second or more faster than last year. Lap records are being broken everywhere, even in less perfect track conditions, like in Portugal. The total race time is much faster. So, we have some things we would like to test, but we also need to consider this increase in speed.”
© 2024
