KTM is in its first season in MotoGP, as it is in its debut in Moto2 while continuing its adventure in Moto3. We are therefore not idle in Mattighofen where we have resolutely chosen the competition card to make a name for ourselves. For that alone, KTM deserves all the interest in the world. Suddenly, sports boss Pit Beirer has something to occupy his time. And he went on to help his RC16 win over experienced and competent competition. A constant challenge.
That being said, KTM's first assessment at mid-season is not ridiculous. The Austrians scored in all but one Grand Prix and had the pleasure of seeing their two drivers straight into Q.2 in France while Pol Espargaro restarted the maneuver at the Sachsenring. It is the same brother of an Aleix who officiates at Aprilia who has brought back for the moment the best result in the race for the bike with trellis frame and WP suspension. With an eleventh place in Assen.
And then ? Pete Beirer sets the roadmap: further reduce the gaps and enter the top 10 as regularly as possible: “ we are on an upward curve which has never wavered since the launch of the project in 2015, the first appearance in the Grand Prix in 2016 and this first season in 2017. We will still encounter difficulties but the direction taken is the right one. The riders are more comfortable with the bike and we are gradually climbing towards the top of the rankings ».
But the height difference remains impressive… “ We must realize that we must catch up with competition whose experience has been built up over years and which continues to progress. MotoGP is a hell of a lot. So of course from the outside, there is no glory in finishing eighteenth and the KTM fans don't want to see us eighteenth. But we must think differently, i.e. in an increasingly reduced gap on the leaders ».
"During qualifying we managed to be good, and in the race we were 50 seconds behind the winner in Barcelona, 42.5 seconds at Assen and 32 seconds at Sachsenring. These are values that I have hung in my office and that I always keep in mind. In the spring, I said that before the end of this season, I would only accept losing one second per lap. I maintain this course ».
During the summer break, KTM continued to work on an RC16 which benefits from less strict regulations than its competitors due to its beginner status? A privilege shared with Aprilia which remains the first objective to beat even if Suzuki has slipped dangerously into the peloton in recent times...
