Since the last Grand Prix of France, we are on cloud nine at KTM. Pol Espargaro brought the Austrians to seventh heaven. His sixth final position, less than six seconds behind the winner, validated the WP trellis frame and suspensions forever. The newly grafted carbon swingarm is also very popular. Everything would therefore be in good shape for the Austrians on the right track who only have to refine the base found. Except that the person responsible for the engine, Kurt Trieb, is far from the current euphoria…
No, Johann zarco need not despair. There are some at KTM who hold the same technical discourse as him on the user-friendliness of the machine and its ease of piloting. This is the father of the Austrian 4cc V1. The latter, despite the latest good results, does not find reason to jump for joy. It would even be almost the opposite...
In fact, he declares: “ top performance is always an issue in this category, but rideability is just as important. It's a constant challenge. Our goal should be to put together a motorcycle that every rider can handle. You need a lot of experience for this, you need a lot of work to do it. There is no simple solution to this problem. I am not satisfied with the current situation ».
« In principle, you should design the motor so that the power remains controllable " keep on going Drive. " At the base engine you can do something. We are talking about individual adjustment of the cylinders, so that the engine does not crank too much, remains under pressure and accelerates. There's a lot of work on the test track behind that. There is also the engine brake which is an interaction in the powertrain. It starts with the clutch and continues with the electronics that control the engine braking. Some of our competitors drive with the exhaust flaps to generate additional engine braking ". He finishes : " so we must continue to improve ».
