Compe💛ting in his first MotoGP since 2021, and first in front of his home Spanish fan🅰s since 2018, the triple title runner-up usually spends his time taking part in private tests at deserted racetracks for KTM.

But Sunday morning saw Pedrosa join the premier-class regulars for a parade lap in front of the 79.625 fans packing the 🔯Jerez hillsides.

And when the parade halted in the famous stadium section, t🔯here was only one nameღ being cheered by the fans... and then riders.

“It's true, I was really enjoying that lap,” said Pedrosa on Sunday⛄ evening. “At one point, we stopped 🅺[in the stadium] and they interviewed me a little, and I was about to cry!

“In that moment, I got emotional. And not only because of🦹 the crowd, which was full, packed and everyone was cheering my name. But also, the riders.

"I ꦺwas so surprised! They were so cool, they joined in the par♔ty and cheered for me also! It was great.”

Not only did the o🧸ther riders cheer Pedrosa, but Red Bull KTM team-mate Jack Miller picked the 37-year-old up onto his shoulders꧙.

“Jack is a master of entertai𝄹nme𝕴nt!” smiled Pedrosa.

Emotion aside, the 31-time MotoGP winner showed he still has plenty of speed this weekend b𒅌y leading opening practice and qualifyi🐻ng in sixth.

Pedrosa then matched his start🐓ing place o🦋n his Sprint race debut, before spending much of the main race trying to repeat the feat in a duel with Luca Marini’s Ducati.

But M🍌arini, whose older brother Valentino Rossi enjoyed some famous battl🌺es with Pedrosa during his full-time career, get the upper hand by just 0.042s at the flag.

“I was trying to overtake. But I think he was riding really good, really smooth and my problem was that I couldn't really be extremely close on the exit of the turns to be to be strong in the braking,” Pedrosa🧸 said.

“So I was always a bit far when we arrived to the braking. But in the last laps he kind of dropped a littl🃏e bit his pace, so I tried to be closer and just on the finish line we were side by side, but I wasn't able to pass him.”

Pedrosa will now switch back to his ‘day job’ when he returns to Jerez for official testing, alongside the full🉐 ♑time field, on Monday.

“After a wee🎃kend like this, it's going to be a little bit difficult to recover [physically] for tomorrow. But no, it's good for me!”

KTM regulars Brad Binder and Mille🦩r backed up their one-three finish in the Sprint with second and thir🧸d in the Sunday race.