Today, MotoGP performance is very dependent on their ability to accelerate out of corners. Of course, they are helped in this by the electronics, but the task of passing the power to the ground is all the more difficult as the engine is powerful and brutal.
To resolve this, Honda tried and then adopted at the last minute a Big Bang engine for this season.
KTM, which remained the only brand equipped with a Screamer engine, has just done the same, after promising tests at Le Mans confirmed during the Jerez Grand Prix.
Kurt Trieb, the engineer who designs all the racing engines at KTM) revealed to the site speedweek the how and the why...
At the end of March, you said it would take three months from the decision to put a Big Bang engine on track. Since then, less than three months have passed. So you've already had your eye on this concept for some time?
" Yes. We first thought about it during the test at Spielberg in mid-July 2016.”
But Spielberg is a drag race where the downsides of Screamers aren't so clear?
“Nevertheless, the difference was obvious. There, we started to think about it. »
Honda won the 2016 World Championship with a Screamer engine. But had you noticed the KTM riders couldn't get back on the gas out of corners as quickly as the Yamaha, Aprilia, Ducati and Suzuki riders, who already had Big Bang or equivalent engines?
“Yes, acceleration out of corners was a weak point from the start. At Spielberg, we were for the first time with all the competitors, together on the track. There we saw clearly how the others, in particular the Ducati, could accelerate. »
After Spielberg, how long did it take until the decision to make Big Bang?
“It was somewhere in the fall. From that moment, we designed and ordered the manufacturing of the parts. »
As a newcomer, KTM can use nine engines per rider instead of seven for others. Is there a chance that KTM can do all 18 Grand Prix with this quota?
“The official line is clear: 2017 is a testing year for KTM.
And now we are testing different engine configurations. But it is clear that if the pilots have decided to do something, it makes sense to continue on this path. » (editor's note: we notice that the answer is vague but, as a reminder, KTM is ready to leave the pit lane when it has used its quota of engines)
Bradley Smith said the Big Bang was the future. Do you agree with him? With the Screamer, tenth place would not have been possible in FP2, especially on the tortuous Jerez circuit?
“Yes, it seems that the new configuration provides an advantage. »
During winter testing, Honda tested its Big Bang for around 20 days with 6 riders and still didn't know if they were going to use it this season, ten days before the Qatar Grand Prix. For you, two or three hours last Tuesday at Le Mans were enough to make this engine ready for racing?
“No… (laughs a little embarrassed). It was a surprise that this setup worked very well. »
The Big Bang is said to consume more fuel.
" Yes, it's true. How much exactly? We do not know. Maybe that will be a liter for the race distance; it also depends on the circuit. But ultimately, it's a less efficient engine, so it needs more fuel. »
Photo Credit: Copyright: © Sebas Romero KTM Media Library
