Hervé Poncharal is curious to know what Mugello will have in store for its French RC16 drivers. After facing the elements at Le Mans two weeks ago, the Tech3 troops should benefit from better conditions this weekend for an Italian Grand Prix which will mark the reunion with the transalpine route. Last year, the health crisis had in fact prevented this meeting in Tuscany, which was appreciated by all, from taking place. In 2019, it was a certain Danilo Petrucci who won on his Ducati. The same one who is now on the orange KTM of the tricolors…
Petrucci will he continue his great series? Winner in 2020 of the Grand Prix of France, he achieved his best performance of the season more than ten days ago at Le Mans with a top 5. In 2019, he triumphed in a Italian Grand Prix from the world before, or with the public, which once again makes him a latest winner. So why not take advantage of this positive wave to, once again, place yourself well with the Austrian motorcycle guarded by the French?
This is all the harm his boss wishes for him Hervé Poncharal : " After the team's great Le Mans result, it's now time to head to the beautiful Mugello, which I think is a track that the whole paddock loves. Danilo was the last MotoGP winner at Le Mans in the rain and we had a good result there. I would like to remind that Danilo was also the very last MotoGP winner at Mugello in the dry the last time we raced there in 2019. So, I hope he has good memories! » declares the boss of Tech3.
« It's a track he loves and he goes fast, which is obvious because he won the last race there. Of course, it is going to be very interesting to see, what he can do on a different bike and how he rates the KTM compared to what he rode in 2019. The whole team and Danilo have very good memories of the Italian GP and, being Italian, he of course hopes to be able to shine at home He adds.
Hervé Poncharal don't forget your second pilot lecuona in whom he saw a recent improvement: “ Concerning Iker, it's a bit the same story because although he never drove a MotoGP at Mugello, he still comes off a very good weekend at Le Mans, where in both cases, in the dry and in the wet, he was very competitive. It is clear that Iker has taken a step forward in his riding and confidence since the Monday test after Jerez and we believe that he will also arrive at Mugello with a positive mindset and ready to try to be a once again in the top 10, which is his goal at the moment ».
Hervé Poncharal: “you always have to find the right answer to the problems that arise”
« Mugello is a very beautiful circuit, but also very demanding, where you have almost everything to put together on a fast lap: the engine, the acceleration, the braking stability, the cornering speed, the fast chicanes... » said the tricolor. “ If we manage to deliver a decent performance there, I believe we will be able to understand our motorcycle even better. We can't wait to get there, because it's been a long time since we raced at Mugello with KTM. I think everyone in the KTM family is excited to see where we stand compared to our competitors ».
« I should add that Danilo was with us last Tuesday and Wednesday here in the workshop in France. We had a great time together working hard to produce videos for our partner ELF, but we also had time to chat and exchange in a much cooler environment, in addition to mountain biking in the forest around the Tech3 headquarters. I think it was not only a pleasant moment, but also important to understand each other better and share things that we cannot share during a Grand Prix weekend, where everyone is focused and under pressure. I want to believe that this will also help us be more efficient on the track ».
He ends with the current concerns of the KTM with tires Michelin : “ we must adapt to this new situation. We have to try new settings, the drivers may have to change their driving style. Brad Binder told me he changed his riding style a bit during the race in Portugal to better manage the front tire. After that it went better. You always have to find the right answer to the problems that arise. This is the very essence of the coursee. So we can't complain about the lack of front tires. We gotta be quick with what we got ».
