This Sunday, January 30, 2022, the riders of the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team spoke as the start of the new season is fast approaching, including the holding of the shakedown at the start of the week followed by the first official tests on the weekend next in Sepang.
Like his teammate Raúl Fernández, Remy Gardner will therefore take the plunge into the deep end, after first tests at the end of 2021 in Jerez as a way of making contact with the premier category and with the RC16. The performances of the reigning Moto2 World Champion will also be closely scrutinized as the Australian suffered a wrist injury during motocross training a few weeks ago.
As usual, we report here the words of Remy Gardner without the slightest formatting, even if it is translated from English.
How are you feeling as the tests approach?
« It's not going to be easy, that's for sure. It's only been a fortnight since I had surgery [on his wrist injury, editor's note]. I will try to do as much physio as possible to be ready, but it will be hard. I will probably do fairly short stints. But the tests will be long, and we will try to work in the long term while avoiding adding injuries on top of that. The idea is already to have the first sensations on the bike. »
Pit Beirer, the director of KTM Motorsport, declared a few days ago that the riders of the Tech3 team would be considered the same as those of the factory team...
« It's very nice to hear that from Pit, it shows that the brand is behind us 100%. It's true that we will benefit from the same parts as the official team, and there are a lot of hopes in Raúl and me. »
The last tests which took place in Jerez last November were rather positive, apart from in your case a problem with the ribs, which had cracked in an unexplained way. Do you now have any idea where this could have come from?
« In fact it all goes back to my crash in Portugal [during the penultimate round of the 2021 season] on Friday. At the time I didn't want to do an x-ray because I didn't want to know if I had something broken. But subsequently when I took the handlebars of a motogp, it must have been during my second or third outing, I felt a crack when changing direction that took my breath away. Subsequently on the Monday following the tests I had an x-ray and I was told that ribs 10 and 11 were fractured. It was therefore with two broken ribs that I participated in the last two rounds of Moto2, in Portugal then in Valencia, as well as in the Jerez tests. »
“I participated in the last two rounds of Moto2 2021 and the Jerez tests with two broken ribs”
How are your feelings on the bike evolving?
« There are a lot of things to learn on this new machine, but every time I get on it I feel more relaxed, more at ease. Everything is new, and everything is much more powerful, so at the beginning you're always a little more tense than the other guys. But day after day, session after session, everything becomes a little easier, a little more fluid. I have to say that I haven't had any bad feelings so far, even in Jerez with my rib problem. Of course, we will have to see what all this gives over 25 laps, the distance of a race. What is certain is that we are not going to do a race simulation in Malaysia, because we are going to take it step by step. »
“We are not going to do a racing simulation in Malaysia”
Apparently there are people within Tech3 who are directly linked to the KTM factory. Have you had a chance to meet everyone yet?
« There are indeed a few people who are in direct contact with KTM, but I had already met them during testing last year. In fact they work within the team, so they are part of it, that does not change much. »
Will the bike you are going to use at Sepang be exactly the same as the one at Jerez? Furthermore, are you going to work on anything in particular during these tests?
« It will in fact be more or less the same bike as the one used in Jerez. There are several small things to test, but overall we will mainly focus on getting in touch with the bike. For my part, I had the impression during the last tests that I really had to work on the electronics, particularly in terms of traction control or that sort of thing. »
What is your approach for this first season in MotoGP? What can your goals be?
« We are going to take it step by step, and we must not be overly optimistic and put the cart before the horse. The season is going to be long, and in my case my goal will be to fight for the title of Rookie of the Year. There are a lot of things to learn on this bike, and so you have to keep your feet on the ground without worrying. »
“My goal will be to fight for the title of Rookie of the Year”
Have you ever met Dani Pedrosa? What do you expect from him?
« Dani was present in Jerez, and it was a good thing. He has already had the opportunity to give me some advice. This allows for more confidence to have such a rider developing the bike. Moreover, he will provide technical feedback during the three days of testing in Malaysia. It's a very good thing to have him on the team. »
