Published: 28 Aug 2024
Pol Espargaro to Make Third Wildcard Appearance at Misano Grand Prix
Pol Espargaro is set to make his third MotoGP wildcard appearance of the 2024 season at the San Marino GP, held at the Misano World Circuit.
Pol Espargaro is set to make his third wild-card appearance of the 2024 MotoGP season at the San Marino Grand Prix, held at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.
The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing test rider will take to the grid once again, following his previous outings at Mugello and the Red Bull Ring.
Espargaro will pilot the latest RC16 prototype at Misano, a track where he has previously secured podium finishes. Notably, he claimed a spot on the podium in 2020 with KTM and in 2021 while riding for Repsol Honda.
Reflecting on his return to the MotoGP grid, Espargaro noted the progress made during the season, particularly at the Red Bull Ring, where he felt “much more competitive” after extensive testing laps.
His performances in Austria, where he challenged the pace of KTM’s full-time riders, resulted in solid 9th and 11th place finishes.
Espargaro emphasized the importance of his role at Misano, stating that the primary goal is to validate data in race conditions and assist KTM’s full-time riders, Brad Binder and Jack Miller, with their setup for the two upcoming rounds at the Italian circuit.
The Misano GP will be the first of two races at the track and will be followed by an official post-race test on Monday after the race, offering Espargaro and the KTM team further opportunities to refine their setup.
With two wild-card opportunities remaining for the season, KTM could potentially field Espargaro or fellow test rider Dani Pedrosa in additional races later in the year.
