Mike Leitner makes no secret of it, he is a happy race director. The former chief mechanic of Dani Pedrosa at Honda obviously does not regret the time spent in a KTM factory which left its mark in this half-season of MotoGP. The Austrian firm has thus demonstrated the strength of its rapid reaction to a problem which paralyzed Ducati for an entire season in 2020 and which left Honda in a rut. At KTM, from the sixth Grand Prix, the solution was found. A particular mentality that Leitner explains.
When Mike leitner takes stock of this half-season of MotoGP, he recognizes that it has been full of ups and downs. But fortunately, in an ideal order: “ So far this season there have been ups and downs. Fortunately, everything came together shortly before the summer holidays. In Doha, we had not yet reached the level we expected ". He explains the reasons: “ we couldn't get the new front tires to work. We worked on it during the tests in Jerez and we got back into place little by little »
At Le Mans things were improving pace-wise. However, Oliveira fell, then there was the Mugello turnaround, where KTM returned to the forefront: “ we brought a new chassis with us, which helped the drivers ", said Leitner which specifies speedweek. " I don't like being stuck in one situation for a long time. I think it's the KTM mentality. When you have a problem, everyone is involved in finding a solution. We already felt in Doha that we had to work harder », He explains. " In the end, we made the most of it ».
Mike Leitner: “ we are very satisfied with our duo”
In Austria, it will be the home match for the Mattighofen factory, and there will be two meetings in two successive weekends: “ we are competitive. But we also know that competition never sleeps. Everyone pushes in this class and we try to help the drivers from a technical point of view and to develop from race to race ».
The man of 58 years is satisfied with his pilots. He says toOlive tree : " he is doing a great job and has now truly integrated into the factory team. He built confidence in his team. It is now in its third season and it shows ».
Brad Binder is only in his second year, but already in his rookie season he achieved a victory in Brno. “ He was excellent on some tracks, but struggled on others. Basically he is still a newcomer this season, because he was at the Sachsenring or Assen for the first time. What we appreciate about him is his determination and his performance on race day. He never gives up and he's a great talent, this is why we are very satisfied with our duo ».
A duo which could occasionally turn into a trio in Austria and Misano with the participation of Dani Pedrosa as a wild card. Moreover, he will return to work with KTM next week in Misano for two days of testing, where Michele Pirro (Ducati) and Stefan Bradl (Honda) will also ride.
