The Tuesday afternoon before the French Grand Prix is undoubtedly the best time to interview Guy Coulon at length, the technical manager of the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team!
The man is in fact already present on the Bugatti circuit at Le Mans, but the now blue and orange trucks of the French team must be aligned to the nearest centimeter, balanced horizontally and washed carefully before we begin to unload the equipment. to fill the boxes… And consequently “lose” the one that the entire paddock considers to be a tireless wizard.
Guy Coulon, after mini debriefing that we did last time, can we take a more in-depth assessment, following the first 4 Grands Prix of this 2019 season?
Guy Coulon : “we were quite a bit in Qatar and Argentina. In Qatar, we had done tests before, so in our case, that helps. In Argentina, we found a pretty good balance from the first session, which also helps, because that's what we fear: when you don't know the bike, when the rider has no experience with it. , because he has never ridden in MotoGP, none of these elements pose a problem in themselves, but when you put them all together, it becomes more complicated.
« In Austin, we struggled. What also handicapped us was that we didn't ride on Saturday morning and that in the afternoon the track was rotten. Everyone was quite far from the times and, in any case, not in a condition to improve their bike. So it cost us a little there, but you're going to tell me that it's the same for everyone. Yes, but if you only have two sessions and you have everything to learn, it's less practical than for those who have already come and who have the basics.”
« In Jerez, we also had difficulty even though it is a circuit that he (Miguel Oliveira) likes, but very clearly much less than in the winter tests where we were very, very far away. In terms of time, we got pretty close, but not enough to be in the points.”
« Changes of direction are not always easy to manage, so on wide circuits like Qatar or Argentina, it is less annoying. We manage it more easily because when the track is very wide, the changes of direction are smoother, or like in Argentina where you have changes of direction but after heavy braking and at very low speeds. Whereas in Jerez, it's a false slow circuit because the circuit is winding but they are very sharp and very fast breaks. In any case, Pol negotiated rather well, and we much less well.”
How does Pol Espargaró negotiate this? In strength ?
“Yes, but that’s his style!” But I think there is a limit to this style, that is to say that you can do well, but you cannot do excellent. We must therefore get around the obstacle differently.”
What work was done on the motorcycle?
“There, little by little, the priorities were to make the bike “friendly” for the mechanics and for the chief mechanic, to make the adjustments. In this area, step by step, we are starting to get pretty good. The new framework that we had in Jerez is with this in mind: it is not to improve performance, it is to improve the speed of setting changes, to test more things during the sessions. That’s going in the right direction.”
What is the weak point of this bike?
"There's nothing wrong!" We don't have an area that we think is a hindrance and that could be a step forward if we worked on it. No, we're not there, where we're better than that! To put it another way, everything is fine but everything needs to be a little better. But it's starting to be finesse, because there, when we fight to score points, we fight with Lorenzo! That gives you an idea of the situation.”
« If we take stock of Jerez, we find in the first 10 seconds the Suzuki, the Yamaha, the Ducati, and a Honda which wins. On the other hand, in the soft belly of the 10 seconds after the first 10 seconds, there are 4 Hondas! 4 Hondas, KTMs and other motorcycles. For many people, the Honda is a very good bike, but if it doesn't have Marquez on it, it's a mid-pack bike. Apart from a little exploit from time to time from Cal (Crutchlow), because he works hard at it, like Márquez. I think the Honda is not an easy bike. For me, clearly, it is the two in-line 4-cylinders which are the best bikes in the field, because the in-line 4-cylinder is the best engine for a good MotoGP. To make it easier to do a good MotoGP! With the V4, it's very, very complicated! And in motor character, and in arrangement of the elements, and in weight! ".
Let's talk a little about this engine...
“It may lack a little velocity, but we have an engine that seems nice. It vibrates a little too much but it is pleasant for the driver, with fairly well placed torque. I also think we have very good electronics. At the beginning, for us it was other languages and other ways of doing things, so it was very complicated, but I believe that we have very, very good electronics. In any case, as far as our team is concerned, we work with technicians who are very competent and who make things happen. Our engineers who are in contact with these people are seriously raising their level! There is a world of difference between simply being a user of a predigested Japanese motorcycle and actively participating with those who write the lines of code for the programs. This gives superior technical quality to the team and, for sure, it will produce valuable people, little by little throughout this year and in future years! A bit like when we did our Moto2, where we learned a lot of things. That's the nice side of it, even if we work a lot of hours, because the further down you are in the rankings, the longer you work in the evening, and the more tired you are, but the guys who are on top level up. They will surely be people very appreciated for their quality in not very long (laughs).”
In summary, we hear a speech rather full of satisfaction and motivation, which could seem somewhat out of sync with the first results...
To be continued…
