A two-year deal has been signed between the Spanish rider and the Austrian racing team
Earlier this year, Dani Pedrosa announced his retirement from MotoGP. The Spanish racer has been riding for Repsol Honda since his debut in MotoGP in 2006. At Valencia next month, Pedrosa will take the grid for the last time. Although he will not be racing from 2019, Pedrosa will continue to be part of MotoGP as a test rider for KTM – a two year deal has been signed.
Pedrosa is not entirely unknown to the role of a test rider. Being a part of the Repsol Honda Team all these years, the Spaniard has been part of the pre-and mid-season tests for the team. In this case, however, the role will be more development-centric and his experience in the premier class comes in handy.
Speaking about Pedrosa, Pit Beirer, KTM motorsports director said, “To have a rider of Dani's skill and experience as part of our MotoGP project is another strong sign that we are moving in the right direction and we are still pushing as hard as we can."
Pedrosa has been a rider for Honda line-up for 18 years and during this time, he has won three championships – one in the 125cc class and two more in the 250cc category. The Spaniard has been unlucky in the premier class and hasn’t been able to win a championship – he has however, finished in seconds on three occasions. Pedrosa isn’t the only racer to have taken this approach. Australian rider Casey Stoner had also taken a similar approach with Ducati post his retirement at the end of the 2012 season.
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