KTM has given test rider Mika Kallio an extra race opportunity in the MotoGP season finale at Valencia.
The 34-year-old Finn said after his third appearance of 2017 at Aragon last weekend that he doubted he would get another race chance before next season.
The decision to field Kallio again after all puts additional pressure on Bradley Smith, who has struggled this year.
Smith has only scored three more points than Kallio despite contesting the full campaign.
Kallio claimed KTM’s first MotoGP top-10 finish at the Red Bull Ring in August.
He then ran in the top 10 and headed team-mate Pol Espargaro again for much of last weekend’s Aragon race, where he was evaluating 2018 parts, before finishing 11th.
KTM’s announcement means 25 bikes are set to contest the Valencia finale, with Ducati having already committed to running its test rider Michele Pirro there as a wildcard too.