Nine months after its initial launch, the KTM MotoGP factory team returned to the Red Bull Ring for its ninth development test. The weather conditions were ideal and, in addition to permanent test rider Mika Kallio, Tom Lüthi was joined for this first timed confrontation with the other MotoGP riders, before the Finnish rider's expected wild card in Valencia.
Between now and then there will be a demonstration of the RC16 during the next Austrian Grand Prix and four private testing sessions, in Misano, Aragon, Brno and Valencia.
Waiting, the men of Mattighofen congratulate each other to be only two seconds behind the best, which, given their youth, their lack of experience with the latest Michelin tires, and Mika Kallio's relative lack of training compared to the regular drivers, is actually quite promising, even if we know that it is the last two seconds that are the most difficult to obtain.
Consequently, Ktm made the decision to build a completely new motorcycle, incorporating all the updated improvements.
Mike leitner (Vice President Onroad): “It’s fantastic that we have now really confirmed that we are moving in the right direction. The test was pure competition because, naturally, all the teams tried to find a good setup for the Grand Prix. At the end of the second day the times started to drop and this gave us our first real benchmark. And although the path to the top is even harder, at no cost must we hide. There is a lot to do but we know where the bar is. If someone had told us before the test that we were three seconds behind, we would have taken it well. This achievement is even more worthy of praise, in the class where they fight for every tenth of a second. »
Sebastian Risse (Onroad Technical Director): “This time, we focused on three fundamental points. Lap times, how others manage the electronics, and the tires, in addition to the normal settings and test work that we have also been able to do in the past. Technically we haven't made a lot of steps forward, but we have made a lot of progress with the times. We were between one and a half and two seconds slower on both days, which for me was actually less than expected. The next stage of development will be a big one as we aim to cleanly integrate all of our experiences into a completely new motorcycle. I hope that with this bike and the ongoing improvements we will be better equipped for our wild card at the final race of the season and the IRTA test that follows. »
Mika Kallio: “I think our performance was better than many expected, and the distance between us and the others could have been greater. But we did an impressive job during the two days of testing and we notice that the other teams were also, to some extent, impressed. We didn't encounter any technical problems and this allowed us to do a lot of laps at a high level. Gradually, we were able to achieve faster and faster times over the two days, and on the second day we improved our times by a second compared to the first. This time we were more focused on setup and less on development, and that made it easier for me to set good times, so my confidence improved lap after lap. Together with all the other drivers on the circuit, we clearly saw in which areas we still needed to improve. This has allowed me to follow a few other drivers and understand what is now needed. »
