KTM will make its very first season in MotoGP this year with a brand new RC16. The Mattighofen factory is characterized by its resources and boundless enthusiasm which fuel an ambition which has often come to fruition. The fact remains that the Austrians are tackling quite a bit this time. The latest tests of Phillip Island showed how much the orange brand still had to do to achieve its goals of worrying Aprilia and getting closer to Suzuki. A situation where you have to keep your morale up. And precisely, he is at the highest level among the pilot Pol Espargaro.
After three days spent grinding the selective Australian track, Pol Espargaro planted his KTM RC16 in seventeenth place in the cumulative standings with a time of 1:29,857. This is 1,3s off the best time achieved by Maverick Vinales, a gap considered more than honorable by the brand's sports boss, Pit Beirer. His second pilot Bradley Smith was satisfied with a 1:29,978 which puts him nineteenth. The two KTMs frame Loris Baz and are ahead of the Ducatis of Redding andAbraham. Sam Lowes brings up the rear with his Aprilia.
Meanwhile, the best Aprilia whipped by Aleix the older brother of I will espargaro claims a top 10 with his 1:29,361. You will therefore have to be patient at KTM before going for the fastest RS-GP. However, we are happy with the way things are going at KTM. The latest tests had drawn attention to work to be done on the chassis. This time, it is the motor character that was studied: “ we are satisfied with these tests » assures Pol on speedweek. " We have significantly improved our racing pace, which is very important in view of the first Grands Prix. Because it is at the end of these that we score points in the championship ».
« We have really made progress in this area. We're not that far from the other drivers. I was able to approach my best time on several occasions and we often drove under 1'30. I'm delighted for the team, they are very strong, they work hard. Little by little, we put our pieces together and we build our whole ».
The concern at Phillip Island was therefore an aggressive driver: “ we need to make progress on the engine, we can play on the electronics but also the chassis. Engineers know what needs to be done. There will be major changes for Qatar, which will take place in four weeks. And that’s why I’m very confident. If we can tame this engine, then we will have a good bike at Losail ».
The former 2013 Moto2 World Champion explains: “ During the first two days, we suffered a lot with the worn tires. But in the end, we were quite close to the others on this point. We made a few mistakes and I couldn't align all my good sectors together, otherwise I was four tenths better. But it does not matter. When we come back here in October, everything will be different, including the bike. The most important thing is to have the right feeling with the bike. With each outing on the track, we progressed ».
« The way the power arrives is not yet ideal. It's still too brutal, we have to tame that. This engine is a wild beast and it is difficult to dose and control. Our engineers know what needs to be done and they have ideas. They have already made clear progress in terms of electronics and chassis. If the engine is calmed, we will be in Qatar. KTM works really hard ».
And it is true that the work was intense: “ we tried different chassis, aerodynamic solutions, we touched the electronics, we tried the engine with less power then with more horsepower, all in a relatively short time. We also evaluated the new Michelin tire. He's not bad, but I can't say if he's ready for a race as far as we're concerned. Everything is moving in the right direction and this bodes well for the future. ". KTM will officially present its troops on February 20.
