The orange tunics are red with pleasure as they leave Sepang, a circuit that they lapped for two times three days. The first salvo was the “shakedown” then the second the IRTA test. KTM had not skimped on resources: 15 tonnes of equipment, 5 RC16 version 2020 and all riders on deck. An effort that no one regrets, because the results show that the Austrians are indeed on the right track. The problem is that with 15 drivers in the same second, the others too... Mike Leitner, however, does not shy away from his pleasure...
They were all there in Malaysia. Of Pol Espargaro à Brad Binder via Miguel Oliveira et Iker Lecuona, without forgetting Mika Kallio and Dani Pedrosa who even managed a third time during the Saturday of the test. While he was at the top of the timesheet at the time of the “shakedown”. Yes, the company KTM looked great Sepang !
« After six days we can really draw a positive conclusion about this test ", said Mike leitner, MotoGP race director at KTM. " At the end of 2019, our test program did not benefit from good weather, the tests were often affected by rain. We already had a lot of ideas on the table at the time, but we couldn't test them in Europe because of the weather. This required us to have quite a large operation for Sepang, and we provided a lot of material for these two tests separated by three days. We made last minute decisions. This is why these test days were very important. »
« We urgently needed these six days of good weather. The feedback from the pilots is very gratifying ", summary Leitner. " Everyone at the factory has worked tirelessly to make this bike even more competitive. Our two test drivers Dani and Mika also make a valuable contribution. They did a good job at the end of the 2019 test season. What they developed then has proven itself here, the regular drivers unanimously confirmed this. We received positive feedback from pilots on many ideas and changes. It was nice to see that we are quite strong on a single lap and can show our pace on the long runs. We believe we have taken another step forward. Now we have to see what the opponents are capable of. »
« Our starting drivers had to work and do a lot here, especially our two rookies, Brad Binder and Iker Lecuona ", Explain Leitner. " They did a lot of laps and they did well. They gained a lot of new knowledge in MotoGP. It’s also about adapting the driving style. As for Dani Pedrosa, he also had to do a lot of laps because he had to check a lot of ideas. Pol and Miguel also did a lot of runs, and with them we tried a lot of settings and a lot of parts. They were very focused and accomplished all tasks brilliantly. »
« Fortunately, we were spared from injuries, so we can leave Malaysia with four fit riders “, said the KTM race director. “ It's very positive. »
Mike leitner ends on speedweek : " the little details will make all the difference in the MotoGP category this season. 15 pilots are in less than a second. This category is extremely competitive. It's going to be a very difficult season. It is important that we can participate in this group. We now look forward to seeing what the timesheet will look like in Doha. But it doesn’t really start until four weeks in March… »
Sepang J3 test: times
Credit motogp.com
