Of course, factory tests oblige, we should not hope for the slightest time or precise information given by Johann Zarco or the Ktm press service.
So we could be satisfied with this somewhat general statement from Aki Ajo, without forgetting that the times we had taken during previous tests left no doubt about the level of competitiveness of the Austrian machine...
Aki Ajo: “C’était bien sûr une journée vraiment intéressante et importante pour notre projet Moto, car Johann a déjà essayé de nombreuses motos, donc ses commentaires sont particulièrement importants pour une moto d’usine. Il y a déjà eu plusieurs pilotes de test durant le mois dernier, mais il était très important de recueillir également son opinion. Il y aura quelques tests, bien sûr avec les pilotes d’essais, avant la course de Valencia, et, bien sûr, immédiatement après, nous continuerons en testant avec nos propres pilotes (Binder and Oliveira).”
But once again, we can provide some additional details, starting with the fact that the French driver suffered a small, minor fall during these tests.
More important, his time which, on a machine still in full development and without the numerous test sessions for a Grand Prix, would nevertheless have allowed him to start from 12th position on the starting grid last Sunday: 1 '54.1!
There is no doubt that the bike will progress further by next year, and the Top 10, or even better, therefore seems an achievable goal from the first year; which would be quite good, for a debut in an extremely competitive category!
Photo credit: MotoGP.com
