 But on 28 September 2017, he was granted a fourth and final wildcard ride at the season finale in Valencia.Kallio's performances from his wildcard outings put him in contention for a possible full-time ride in place of Smith for 2018.However, on 11 October 2017, KTM ended speculation surrounding their rider lineup, electing to keep Smith as the team's race rider for next season, with Kallio continuing his role as KTM's test rider, with plans for more wildcards.