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, continue with Moto2 and finish with MotoGP.
Hervé Poncharal, we come to MotoGP. After this first part of the season overseas, can you already draw up an initial assessment, with the positive points and the negative points?
Hervé Poncharal: “watching the first winter tests, in Sepang and Qatar, I told my drivers, my team and some friends from the media, that the objective, at least for the first 3 races before starting the season European Championship in Jerez, that would be to score at least one point. Because looking at the time sheets, we saw that it was very tight and that by adding up the Yamahas, the Ducatis, the Suzukis and the Hondas, which are on paper in front of us, we arrive at more of 15.
Frankly, we missed the point by 3 times nothing in Qatar, and on the other hand, whether in Argentina or in Texas, we were well in the points with obviously a special mention for Argentina since Miguel Oliveira was much closer of the head than what we could have imagined even in our most positive dreams, whether in qualifying or in the race. We were very, very happy and very proud of what happened in Argentina! In Texas, we were happy because starting last and getting back into the points wasn't necessarily easy, but we did it, even if the gap was bigger with the lead, as we expected.”
Oliveira, MotoGP, Grand Prix Of The Americas 2019
“But I would also like to quickly point out that we are also happy with what Pol Espargaró has done! Because for us, we can always say to ourselves “we were in the points but there were a few falls in front” or “we were in the points but the time gap compared to the winner is very important”, but when we see Pol's performances, especially on a very complicated circuit and particularly difficult for KTM to manage during the first 2 years, his performance AND in qualifying AND in the race, where he finished 8th, it's still something that can only bring balm to our hearts and make us more positive. We, mechanics, technicians and pilots! ".
“I quickly read some comments from Internet users who sometimes say that I am politically correct and that I settle for little, but it is obvious that today we are not capable of fighting with the 4 leading brands . But I also hear that Pol did fast laps while holding his breath, with his eyes closed, in qualifying, but he did as many laps as the others in the race, staying on his wheels, and finished 8th! So these are positive things and it is by having one or more fast pilots who have a constructive and positive state of mind that we can advance development, and above all make it progress more quickly. Because at some point, we know it's not going fast enough and everyone involved in this project knows it! But if we have a constructive attitude, it is more effective in the short term than if we say that nothing is working.”
“I have already spoken to you about it, I am extremely happy and satisfied with what Miguel Oliveira is doing. Hafizh Syahrin is having more difficulty adapting to this new bike and he is clearly not at the level of what he was doing with the Yamaha last year. In the organization, we thought at least at the start of the season that the rider who had a year of experience in MotoGP was going to be ahead of the rookie, but today it's quite the opposite. It's also interesting to think about this and analyze because it seems to indicate that when you arrive with a fresh eye, straight from Moto2 without having ever ridden a MotoGP, you perhaps ask yourself fewer questions: for you , MotoGP is KTM and you have to adapt my riding style! ".
We would have liked Hafizh to score at least one point in these 3 races. It came very, very, very close in Argentina where he had his best of the 3 races, that's clear, but it didn't come close enough. It also shows that we have not achieved the objective that I spoke to you about at the beginning during these first 3 races with our 2nd driver. It highlights AND Miguel’s great performances AND the not-so-obvious side of being in the points.”
Oliveira, Argentina MotoGP Race 2019
Overall, we still saw progress from your two drivers from the winter tests to Argentina, then a little more difficulty in Texas which is undoubtedly the most difficult circuit both technically and for beginners. If we now look ahead to the upcoming circuits, Jerez will perhaps still be a little difficult but Le Mans could suit the KTM better in front of the French fans…
" Yes. But you always have to be wary because we arrived in Texas with comments from all the KTM staff and from Pol who was the only KTM rider to have ridden there. And they told us that it was going to be really difficult and that we would have trouble performing. But it turns out that this was the best qualifying for a KTM in the dry and the best position in the race for a KTM in the dry. So you should always be wary of making predictions because many things change from one year to the next. It's clear that, on paper, Tech3 should be a little better than in the first races because we are starting to understand the KTM much better, the bike is evolving, and our riders are becoming more and more KTM riders with each race. MotoGP. I know Miguel loves Jerez even though it's far from Hafizh's favorite track. We also always hope to see developments. We're waiting and I'm not going to get into a list of things, but we can see that in the official team they have a saddle-tank-exhaust assembly different from ours... Maybe we'll be lucky enough to receive these elements in Jerez. Maybe for the race or maybe for the tests which will take place on the Monday after this one.”
“And as you pointed out, I also think that Le Mans is a circuit where we should not be too bad. Now, again, not too many predictions one way or the other. But yes, we're meeting all French supporters at Le Mans! ".
“Of course, we don't have a French driver this year, and the enthusiasm we experienced last year had a huge impact on us: it was truly a magical moment! So we won't have the same thing this year but in any case, we will do everything to ensure that the KTMs work there and we must not forget that there is a French rider, Johann Zarco, who rides on a Official KTM. So if the KTMs perform better at Le Mans, it will be interesting.”
Without going into technical secrets, what is the main weak point of this motorcycle?
“Without going into details, there is not a specific problem. There is no big problem that absolutely must be resolved to have a high-performance machine. I think we're losing a little bit everywhere. It's an addition of a whole bunch of little things. Today, we don't have the best engine and the bike is perhaps still a little heavy, but there are no major flaws.
During the first tests that we did in Valencia and Jerez, the drivers had difficulty feeling safe in relation to the feeling of the front axle. Today, when I talk to Miguel, he tells me “I'm doing incredible things and the front end is glued to the ground. There are times when I go too hard and I turn while keeping the brakes on and it doesn't move. So we have made enormous progress there. It is both the bike which has evolved and the rider who has understood how to manage this technical package, and it is also a technical team which manages to better understand all of this. So we have no major handicap and we must progress everywhere. KTM is very, very aware of this and the bike has already seen very significant progress in terms of rider feeling since the end of November, which is not very, very old. The problem is that we are moving forward but everyone else is moving forward too. So we have to move forward faster than the best, and that’s not as easy to do as it is to say.”
But honestly, and I think this is important, there is a good state of mind in the KTM MotoGP group. Whether it's the development team or the 2 racing teams, we're side by side but there's no wall: we're always discussing and exchanging ideas, and there's really a feeling positive and a desire. Everything happens in a healthy atmosphere, even if we all work hard, and that should be noted.”
Between Pol and Miguel, the flow goes really well, they push each other and it's nice to see. This is the advantage for any manufacturer to have 2 teams and 4 drivers: we have more feedback and it is clear that the drivers push each other. Moreover, Miguel had declared it and said that his goal was to be the best KTM rider. There is still work to be done but we must continue, and in any case that is the objective. Above all, Pol does not want to lose his place as best KTM rider. I think Johann works very, very hard. I can see what Pol is doing and he is also bickering with Miguel: he was behind him in Argentina and in front of him in Texas. So there you have it, it’s a healthy emulation and all the drivers are pushing each other. And that’s how we move forward, it’s obvious! ".
Oliveira, MotoGP, Grand Prix of the Americas 2019.
