In addition to Dani Pedrosa (KTM), test riders Stefan Bradl (Honda) and Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia) will also be on the grid at the Spanish Grand Prix
At the Spanish Grand Prix at the end of April, there will not only be 22 MotoGP bikes on the grid, but 25. On the one hand, Dani Pedrosa will tackle his first wildcard of the year for KTM at his home race in Jerez. On the other hand, Aprilia and Honda will also take the opportunity with their test riders in Jerez.
As usual, Stefan Bradl will be in the saddle of the RC213V for Honda. This will be the German’s first race outing since the Japanese Grand Prix last fall. Back then, he filled in for Alex Rins in the LCR team.
Bradl has already carried out some private test rides in Jerez this calendar year. As Honda is also allowed to test with the regular riders, a private test was completed this week in Barcelona with Luca Marini and Joan Mir.
The private test program of LCR riders Johann Zarco and Takaaki Nakagami has not yet been determined in detail. As a Group D manufacturer, Honda (and Yamaha) have 260 tires available for private testing. These must be shared between all riders.
Manufacturers in Group C (KTM and Aprilia) and Group D (Honda and Yamaha) may register a maximum of six wildcards per season. Jerez will also be Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori’s first race this year.
It will be the Italian’s first Grand Prix since Valencia last fall at the end of November. At that time, Savadori stood in for the injured Miguel Oliveira in the then satellite team RNF. He also scored world championship points in 13th place.
The fact that KTM, Aprilia and Honda are sending their test riders to Jerez is also due to the fact that there is a test day with all the riders on the Monday after the weekend. If the test riders ride new developments at the weekend, they can be checked out by the regular riders on Monday
The next official Monday test after a race will take place at the beginning of June after the Italian Grand Prix in Mugello. KTM has already confirmed that Pol Espargaro will start there with a wildcard.
Ducati is the only brand in Group A in the new concession regulations. No wildcards are permitted in this group
