Brad Binder will, in 2023, be the only one of the four KTM riders lined up in MotoGP to have the most recent consecutive experience of the RC16. The South African has in fact been on the Austrian machine since his debut in the category which dates back to 2020. He has achieved success twice with it. Certainly, Pol Espargaró, the man from the beginnings of the Mattighofen project, returns to the family nestled in the Styrian plain, but after a two-year infidelity, materialized by a stint at Honda. However, a MotoGP now evolves a lot in two seasons, and Brad Binder is particularly pleased with this on a point, until now dangerously ignored by the engineers under the direction of Pit Beirer...
Si Ducati is expected in 2023 to confirm its great form and Aprilia hoped this time as a real challenger, KTM is identified by many as the next revelation of the starting grid. Enough to further establish the domination of Europe and push the two remaining Japanese brands into the shadows as if towards oblivion.
A nightmare scenario for the men of the rising sun that predicted with some relevance Davide Brivio who, for example, expressed himself as follows on the subject: “ the track team must become an integral part of the MotoGP program, therefore great synergy must be created between those in the factory and those on the track. They no longer need to be two separate groups. You have to build the bike together, and together you have to make it work on the track. This is the concept introduced by Ducati and Aprilia. And KTM does it too, especially now that it has hired several important engineers from Ducati ».
Brad Binder: “ we have approved two configurations, this is the future for us«
Exactly, KTM ... The firm, by seeking its skills elsewhere than within itself, has allowed itself room for progress in a field that was initially philosophically rejected: that of aerodynamics. And when we listen Brad Binder, the transplant took: “ It's amazing how big the setup impact is when you make changes to the aero body » comments the pilot of 27 years. “ As soon as you decide to go for a little more downforce, you have to fine-tune the setup a bit, but you still lose out in other areas. It’s give and take. The main task now is to find the ultimate compromise. It's clear, aerodynamics is a big area where we can improve ».
A balance which seems to be on the verge of being mastered by the Austrians. The one who finished 37 times in the points in 39 races thus reveals on speedweek : " we need to find a solution that gives us a lot of downforce and puts us at a minimal disadvantage in terms of top speed. From this point of view, the 2022 season has been interesting for us. We approved two configurations, my preference being the most aerodynamic version. This is the future for us. But of course we still have a lot of work to do before we find the perfect balance between downforce and top speed ».
« At the beginning of the year, we never had enough time to get everything perfect. We now understand the problem much better. We learned something new every race. I'm curious to see what aerodynamic innovations KTM will bring us for next season » finishes the one who will have Jack Miller as a teammate in 2023.
