Dan🌊i Pedrosa told Jorge Lorenzo th🌼at he nearly replaced him at Yamaha in 2017.

The old🦩 rivals were sat inside a boxing ring on Spanish television, grilling each other about their fierce rivalry.

One det👍ail emerged abou✨t a forgotten near-miss of a rider switch six years ago.

"I was very close to signing wiꦬth Yamaha in 2017♏,” Pedrosa was quoted by .

He told Lorenzo: 🦩“When you left Yamaha and went to Ducati.

“Th꧋ere was the attempt to choose Maverick Vinales or me.

“And since I was your rival I always wanted to ride your bike because of its qualitiesꦛ, I wanted to see myself riding on one.

“That time was the one I was closest to.”

By the end of 20🌃16, Lor🐲enzo had won his three MotoGP championships, each time with Yamaha.

After 🎐finishing third in the standings in 2016, behind champion Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi, Lorenzo left for an ultimately ill-fated move to Ducati.

There appeared to be a vacant Yamaha when the Japanese manufacturer seemingly failed to recruit S✅uzuki’s Vinales.

Pedrosa’s near-move froﷺm Honda to Yamaha might have🌜 changed MotoGP history.

♓Instead, it wasn’t to be, and Yamaha eventually brought♔ in Vinales.

Pꦦedrosa remained at Honda for the rest of his career as a full-time rider, retiring as the most successful-ever MotoGP rider without a championship.

He is now instru🃏mental in KTM’s rise as🐎 their test rider, and has wowed a new generation in wildcard appearances.