Like everyone present at Silverstone, Florian endured the British weather to his heart's content. He too hoped that the Grand Prix could go ahead, but the idea was ultimately abandoned. Official mechanic at KTM in MotoGP, and himself a pilot with a brilliant track record, Ferracci explains to us here his spongy weekend, without forgetting the arrival of two new French pilots at the Mattighofen manufacturer.
Three French riders at KTM in MotoGP: Loris Baz at Silverstone, Randy de Puniet then as a tester, then finally Johann zarco in 2019. Without forgetting the Tech 3 satellite team. Who would have imagined a year ago such a strong French presence, in addition to you, among the Austrians?
“To tell the truth, I don’t think anyone could have imagined it. Randy's presence is logical because he was already there from the first year, when the bike was born. They were very happy with his feelings, his feedback and his impressions of the bike. Then Mika being injured, they logically called on him.
“The presence of Loris is a little more unexpected. Pol, despite his injury, thought he could ride until the previous weekend. Ultimately his injury was not consolidated enough, so he could not ride effectively. I'm super happy they took Loris.
“It is very difficult in the middle of the season to find a replacement rider who is not under contract, who is free and who has recent experience in MotoGP. His manager Éric Mahé was lively. We know Loris and we know that he can adapt very quickly to all situations. It's very good that his team (editor’s note: Althea BMW WSBK) gave him his consent.
“And then we didn't want a driver coming from a BSB type national championship who would have wanted to show his worth by breaking everything and who would have crashed. Loris knew how to stay calm and had a very good weekend. KTM was very happy with him. His talent impressed favorably. »
During free practice, Bradley Smith and Loris Baz seemed more comfortable in the rain than in the dry. Was it an impression?
“We know that these two drivers are very fast in the rain. Loris was discovering the bike in the dry, he had not done a single test session with it. So it wasn't easy at all for him. We logically expected him to be last, which was not the case. He wasn't that far behind Bradley, at 1.8 at the end of free practice, which wasn't so bad.
“Loris was certainly hoping for somewhat special weather conditions, because we know very well in these circumstances. He almost made a podium with Forward (editor’s note: 4th at Misano in 2015) it was a really nice race. And also 4th in Brno in 2016 on a wet track. »
Bradley Smith qualified eighth, Loris Baz 18th out of 24 for his KTM debut, were those two good results?
“Exactly, they were two good results because the conditions were really special: it had rained and the back of the circuit was soaked while in front of the pits it was completely dry. So the choice of tires was not easy. We managed this well with Bradley by equipping both bikes with rain tires, which meant that when he stopped, he only had to jump on the other bike.
“It was during Q1, with the aim of qualifying for Q2. At the start of Q1, Bradley and Loris were first and second, I would have signed straight away for it to end there! (laugh) Bradley then improved, then he changed bikes rather than changing tires. He qualified for Q2 and it was the first time this year. Loris rode well but I think he didn't have the same choice as Bradley when it came to the front tire. »
Loris was in soft rain at the front and Bradley in medium rain.
“Exactly, and Bradley chose the medium right before the session. Bravo to him, he had a good nose.
What do you think about the cancellation of the Grand Prix?
“I wasn’t on the bike. I'm no longer a pilot. It rained all day, more or less heavily depending on the time. The problem was that the water wasn't draining at all. There were big puddles. The motorcycles were aquaplaning. It was very dangerous. It was a shame to cancel, especially for spectators who come to see only one Grand Prix per year, but the safety of the drivers comes first. And everyone had in mind the accident in Rabat that had occurred the day before. It was incredible that the water did not drain onto a track whose surface had just been resurfaced. »
Was your driver Bradley Smith, who is English, saddened by the cancellation of his national Grand Prix?
“Yes, but no more than if the race had taken place in another country. What was unfortunate for us was that it was our best place on the grid this year and unfortunately he couldn't take advantage of it for the race. It saddened him, like all of us at KTM, because there was a way to have a good race. It's a shame, but safety first. »
Photo above: Loris Baz and Florian Ferracci
Title photo: Florian Ferracci and Esteban Garcia
Photos © Sebas Romero for KTM
