Pol Espargaro will ride out of the pit box alongside Red Bull KTM Factory Racing to make his second official wildcard competitive appearance of 2024 at the Austrian Grand Prix on August 16-18. The 33-year-old will rejoin the grid with his version of the KTM RC16 at the Red Bull Ring for round 11 of 20.
Pol, new to the KTM MotoGP testing program for 2024, entered the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello in early June. He was immediately up to pace and roaming the top fifteen of the time sheets, earning a decent 14th in the Sprint and was then 17th in the Grand Prix.
The Spaniard was a Red Bull KTM rider between 2017 and 2020 and gained KTM’s first ever podium finish in the premier class in 2018. He stepped away from fulltime racing in 2023, and current wildcard outings allow valuable data gathering and orientation for his testing duties. Pol climbed the podium at Red Bull Ring for the 2020 Styrian Grand Prix with the KTM RC16. 2024 will be his ninth MotoGP at the circuit.
Pol Espargaro: “I’m ready to go again! Mugello was a special circuit to make my return for Red Bull KTM but it also doesn’t get much more special than Red Bull Ring. For the track, the place, the fans and the atmosphere and for how much this Grand Prix means to KTM it also feels a bit like a home race for me. I have some good memories of fighting for the win there but, like in Italy, the goal will be to get on the track with the KTM RC16 and continue our testing program. We will have work to do but I know the Austrian GP will also be a lot of fun.”