In a month, the protagonists of MotoGP will have returned to the furnace of the Sepang track. A first appearance on the track, for this year 2020, which will last three days, knowing that preliminaries will have taken place a week before, with the test drivers as well as the beginners. At KTM, we are waiting for this moment with even more impatience as we promise four identical motorcycles at work. There will therefore be, initially, no difference between the official RC16s and those of ally Tech3. After that ? Sports boss Pit Beirer responds…
Being a satellite team in MotoGP is both satisfying and frustrating. A satisfaction of having a powerful ally with whom we are developing a major project. A frustration, because, generally, we are served after the factory structure in terms of parts and development, when it is not to the point of losing control over the management of its drivers.
The couple formed between KTM et Tech3 does not escape this ambivalence, but Hervé Poncharal likes to point out that the scales definitely lean towards the positive side. In 2019, the automations and cogs worked so well that there was a delta between the orange RC16s and the others with a blue tone. A gap that should no longer exist in 2020. Or almost…
The principle was clearly defined by the brand's boss Stefan pierer : the fourth KTM committed will be identical from the first IRTA tests in Sepang which will open on February 7. For the rest, he is the boss of sports Pete Beirer which explains : " The beginnings with Tech3 were special because we had to adapt to taking care of no longer two but four pilots. But I can assure you that from the Austrian Grand Prix in August, Miguel Oliveira had the best bike that we could provide him, despite playing in a satellite structure. »
« We therefore proved quite quickly that our policy was not to deprive our partner of any new part whatsoever. We completely involved Hervé Poncharal in the development of our motorcycle » assures Beirer which adds. “ However, it is true that in the future there will be an evolution that you can first give to only one pilot before delivering it to the others. But it will always happen so that there are no differences between our two teams. »
Certainly, but who will have the first taste of the new thing? Beirer assures that it will be on merit and not on status! “ When an upgrade can be proposed, it is clear that it will first go to the highest ranked driver in the championship.. » This is what is called creating internal emulation…
Beirer ends Speedweek: “ I am more relaxed this year than a year ago. Because I know we're going to start with four identical bikes. Which means that an evolution can be adapted to all our motorcycles. If you do the season with different machines, like continuing with 2019 versions, there is double the work. It becomes complicated to continue with old versions rather than providing the same bike to all four riders. »
A remark to meditate on when thinking about the case of Ducati which will have four GP20s and two GP19s on the track this season, one of the latter of which will be in the hands of John Zarco.
