KTM will have had an almost dream first season in MotoGP. For its entry into the premier category, the Austrian firm did not disappoint and even convinced. His RC16 had to go from Jerez from the Screamer engine to the Big Bang to regularly enter the top 10 and even play the troublemaker during qualifying, also often experienced from Q.2. Enough to delight Red Bull KTM Team Manager Mike Leitner who is not enjoying his pleasure by pointing out that the Mattighofen engine is among the most efficient at top speed. To the point of supporting the comparison with the Ducati missile…
No, the RC16 is not just a tubular steel frame and WP suspensions, solutions different from the competition. It's also an engine that has great health. Mike Leitner precise on speedweek : " we're not bad at top speed. At Phillip Island, we were at 340 km/h, which isn't so bad. And what is also important is that our engine is also usable. From this point of view, we have made real progress since Jerez in May ».
« Ducati is normally the manufacturer at the top of the top speeds. They are the best. But we are now regularly in the top 8 of this hierarchy. There are several Ducatis and, now, us. We still have our 270 hp, but they are more docile ».
Since Assen in June, KTM has always moved between ninth and eleventh position in Grand Prix. And in the constructors' championship, the Austrians beat Aprilia, which is in its third year in MotoGP...
