Miguel Oliveira tells us everything about his end of history with KTM and the beginning of a new one with Aprilia. Two brands which have marked his career since the Portuguese raced on a Noale machine in his early days, in the 125 category. We were in 2011 and then, he switched to the Mattighofen family to continue in Moto3, in Moto2, with a short Kalex parenthesis, and finally in MotoGP. A final stage marked by five victories which makes him the one who has achieved the most on an RC16. However, he chose to get off to head towards an RS-GP. Massimo Rivola was able to find the bikes that Pit Beirer lacked to retain the loyalty of the rider who left the orange tunics on good terms, but still slipping away that, to hope to be World Champion, he had to look elsewhere...
Miguel Oliveira therefore tells us almost everything, since the period of negotiations with a factory Ducati who hoped to position him at Gresini is not mentioned. That being said, the Portuguese speaks of his carefully considered departure from home KTM, and of his arrival which also owes nothing to chance at Aprilia.
To begin with, he tells about speedweek : " KTM didn't behave badly towards me. We just had different ways of thinking ". He then explains: “ the restructuring of the team went hand in hand with the desire to have another driver than me. These differences drove us apart and we no longer had a future together. It wasn't that the door wasn't open, because they really wanted me to stay on the GASGAS team, so on a red KTM ».
To find out a little more, you have to go to Manuel Peccino : " during restructuring, in which of course marketing also played a role, there was the idea of having two Iberian pilots for the originally Iberian brand GASGAS – a duo with a Spaniard and a Portuguese. I didn't completely agree with this idea and believe that there are times in our lives when we need a change - especially in situations where you only have one chance to jump on the bandwagon », specifies the pilot of 28 years.
In any case, all this has been well thought out and carefully weighed by Miguel Oliveira : “ It’s certain that I didn’t get up one morning and tell myself that it was over. It was a process. After the departure of Mike leitner as team leader, fundamental changes in the structure began to be noticed. As a pilot, I really appreciated Mike in the box and everything he gave us. He was a very experienced person, he put KTM where they are. He played an important role in the project. With the arrival of Francesco Guidotti, the technical direction has changed. He was an experienced person who arrived and, little by little, began to put his ideas into practice ».
Miguel Oliveira: “I got to a point where I felt clearly superior to what was between my legs"
« But getting to something concrete took longer than expected. This management of expectations was the biggest disappointment I had. I thought that with this arrival we could take a bigger step. I got to a point where I felt distinctly superior to what was between my legs. And when you realize it, and you can't technically find a way to overcome it, you feel the desire to discover other things. This opportunity presented itself, it was time to seize it. This is what happened with KTM. I always praised them, they gave me a great opportunity, but I think what I can do is much more important than what I could do with them ».
The page KTM tour, here is the chapter Aprilia opens. But before getting there, we must highlight the work accomplished upstream by Massimo Rivola…: “ his words were very simple. We love you, we appreciate you as a driver, we are confident that with your driving style we can do things well. These are his first words. From that moment on, I started to think about it more seriously. I analyzed the bike, the way Aleix Espargaró and Maverick Viñales positioned their bodies, and the truth is that it convinced me a lot. If we have the right attitude, if we work well, things can turn out in our favor ».
An optimism that the first test in Valencia did not undermine. On the contrary… " I found a bike with a softer braking point. What I did in one day, with 80 laps, surprised me. The bike accepted what it was doing. I'm a bit wary because I don't want to be too happy with what happened, nor do I think the Sepang or Portimão tests will indicate what the season will be like. If things don't work out like they did in Valencia, I'm not going to go crazy and I'm going to keep working ».
« I understood very well why Aleix and Maverick were competitive, both in fast laps and in racing. It is also worth noting that there are areas for improvement. I prefer to keep it a secret. I could understand why they did what they did, but I also understood the problems that arose when they didn't get the result they wanted » assures the Portuguese.
Miguel Oliveira ends by revealing this simple and great ambition: “ I want to become world champion. And I believe it will happen soon ". Then the 3 Moto2015 world vice-champion and 2 Moto2018 world vice-champion slips to the address of an illustrious compatriot: “ Cristiano Ronaldo, you are invited to the Qatar Grand Prix, which will take place at the end of November. By then I'll be close to becoming champion, I hope! You are welcome to celebrate with us ". Dorna is already enjoying it...
