Avoiding the treacherous damp patches had been key to KTM wild-card Dani Pedrosa riding from 16th to a shock top three - after a penalty for Fabio Quartararo - in the Jerez MotoGP Sprint race.

But th♔e home hero’s luck ran out in Sunday’s grand prix, when he was caught out by a lingering damp patch when entering Turn 8 on lap 3.

“I made a good start and recovered some positions,” said Pᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚedrosa, who was in twelfth ꧙place.

“I was hopeful of ✅a good r൩ace and a good rhythm. For some reason, I lost the front in Turn 8. 

"I was not𝓀 pushing to the maximum there. Maybe it was because if yo꧒u don’t take the perfect line then you hit a slippery spot.

“My aim was to make th𒊎e top ten. Anyway, we took some experience with the new bike, what it is capable of doing and ideas for the future direction of the development.

“We will also take away the atmo♍sphere and the Sprint podiu🐻m!”

Red Bull KTM team manager Francesco Guidotti 🐠did not doubt thꦐe cause of Pedrosa’s exit.

“It was a shame he did not finish the race, but he hit one of the da✨mp patches that was still there. Luckily🌊, he is uninjured but a pity to close the weekend that way,” Guidotti said.

While further wild-card entries are yet to be announced, Pedrosa has now ma💎de a total of 298 grand prix starts and🔯 told the official MotoGP podcast before the weekend that he would prefer the number 300…

Although the Sprint result doesn’t count, Pedro🔯sa’s current tally of 112 MotoGP podiums is also just two behind countryman and great rival Jorge Lorenzo, with ꧅whom the #26 has agreed to a charity boxing match.

Pedrosa raced at Jerez and then Misano asღ a KTM wild-card last season, finishing fourth and a fraction from the podium in both races at the San Marino Grand Prix.

New KTM test ride𝓰r Pol Espargaro💙 will make his wild-card debut at Mugello in early June.