As we have the pleasure of it very regularly, Hervé Poncharal shared with us his different points of view on this overseas season.
But, for once, current events require, let's reverse the classic order of subjects to start with the MotoE and finish with MotoGP.
Hervé Poncharal, let’s now tackle Moto2. At first glance, the KTM with a Triumph engine seems less efficient compared to the Kalex than the one with a Honda engine, but on the other hand, Marco Bezzecchi seems to be gradually taking the measure. Are we wrong?
Hervé Poncharal : “it's true that today, when we look at the last Moto2 Grand Prix in the United States, the first KTM is 15th at the finish and scores a point with Jorge Martin. We can't say we're happy! Today, Kalex is dominating while everyone was expecting a big Kalex/KTM fight. We are clearly not there yet. Brad Binder finished 3rd in the 2018 world championship. The number one, Bagnaia, and the number 2, Oliveira, having taken the option to move up to MotoGP, Binder found himself de facto perhaps not in the position of the favorite but one of the two or three favorites for the title. So today, to say that all is well in the best of all possible worlds would not be telling the truth. Yes, there is a disappointment for everyone, whether it is the factory or the people involved in the Moto2 project at KTM, because we are not in the game. We are not at the level and I can tell you, to experience it day by day and internally, that there are big questions, a lot of motivation and a huge amount of work being done to rectify the situation as quickly as possible. possible. Because now, the races will come one after the other, and if we ever want to be able to make podiums and win races, we have to do it quickly, quickly, quickly, because no one will wait for us. It's obvious.
Last year we were running our own bike and we were the ones developing and improving it. Today, we have become, like in MotoGP, an operating team. So we don't have a say in development. We use the material that is made available to us, and we make our comments to the development team so that it progresses and evolves. This is the classic pattern of what happens in competition. With all the information that the Ajo team, the America team, the Kiefer team and Tech3 are passing to them, I hope that things will quickly turn out in a more favorable manner.
On the other hand, as you pointed out, this winter the priority was not really to understand the potential of the bike, but rather to know why Marco Bezzecchi, who is still an extremely talented rider even if he has done a few dumps last year which deprived him of the Moto3 title, had just as much difficulty getting used to Moto2. When we talk to Valentino Rossi and all the people around him, since he is part of the VR46 Riders Academy, he is someone who has enormous potential. And since Argentina, and especially in Texas, his injury to his right leg which was bothering him a little was almost over and we saw a new Marco. He advanced to Q2 and fought in the race for 10th, 11th and 12th place. At that time he was the best KTM with Iker Lecuona. Unfortunately, he fell into a little corner, not really his fault. I think we all saw that there was still a lot of dribbling at the front wheel…
But for us, his performance so far has been a huge relief and a huge satisfaction. Because Marco is someone we rely on a lot, us Tech 3, but also obviously the KTM factory, to work. Last year he fought with Jorge Martin to be Moto3 world champion, and he was almost on par. The race meant that it was Martin who was Champion and not Marco, but in any case the performance levels were very, very similar. Martin got the hang of Moto2 more quickly, but today, when Marco abandoned the race, he was ahead of Martin. In any case, without boasting, I think they are on par today, which is great for us. Now, we hope to be able to give him a tool that will allow him to fight at the front to continue his progress, and when I say “fight at the front”, it means, I hope, making top 5s in a few races and why not by the end of the season make podiums. That would be the dream! We signed him for 2 years, and if it is clear that 2019 is the learning season to settle in, it would be nice to be able to be one of the 5 or 6 candidates for the crown in 2020!
He's really a great young man, who has a great state of mind and who reminds me a lot of Valentino Rossi in his early days! Whether in terms of size, the way he behaves, his charisma or his mischievous side, he is a very endearing, charming, hyper-motivated person, and we are very, very happy to have him in our ranks.
Of course, I don't forget Phillip Öttl. There are obviously not the same expectations around him as there are around Marco Bezzecchi, but he does his job. He is working properly and progressing well from race to race, but we hope that the information coming back to KTM will allow them to give us a machine to beat us at the front very quickly. And we trust them! ".
Do we have a date for this?
" No. Everyone is working hard in the racing department. There are very distinct departments and, already, congratulations to the Moto3 department! They made a full podium, 1, 2, 3, in Austin. But the Moto2 and MotoGP departments are also in charge.”
So to rediscover the taste of victory, shouldn't you open a Moto3 team next year?
“(Laughs)… It’s obvious that Moto3 is an incredible category, a magical class! This is where we work with young people, and it's really very pleasant, interesting and motivating to collect young people who are raw, then to start teaching them the MotoGP championship. But let's not forget that in 2019 I also have the MotoE category, so I already have 6 riders. I think I already have enough work as it is, to manage the MotoGP category, the Moto2 category and the MotoE category, without getting into Moto3.
I would also say that we never look at a race in the same way, whether there are drivers involved or not. And Moto3 is a fabulous race that I love watching. It's the only race that I can watch while putting my feet up on the desk and enjoy the spectacle and the fights, without constantly having the balls and the pressure that I have in Moto2 and MotoGP. And I want to continue to be able to enjoy the magnificent spectacle of Moto3 without being involved in it. And finally, my heart is 62 years old, but Moto3 is a crazy race. You can have your driver in the lead 3 turns from the end of the last lap and he finishes out of the points. So I leave that to the younger or less involved team managers (laughs).”
