The last French Grand Prix revealed a particularly fast latest generation KTM RC16 in the hands of Pol Espargaro. The Spaniard was the only one able to benefit from the latest innovations brought by Mattighofen for the development of his motorcycle. The three other employees of the Austrian factory had to make do with the standard version at Le Mans. But from the next meeting at Mugello, the developments will be offered to all drivers in KTM. To start with Johann zarco. And Pol Espargaró hopes that the Italian track will confirm the good feelings about the Bugatti track.
Spearhead of the KTM factory since the start of this season, Pol Espargaro was logically served first when the latest developments could be fitted on the RC16: “ we will do everything in our power to put this material together for other drivers as soon as possible " has explained Pete Beirer, director of KTM Motorsport. Which should be done for the Mugello meeting at the end of the month. We're talking about a longer carbon swingarm, a modified fork angle and new engine parts that improve handling and power delivery.
That being said, the 27-year-old Spaniard made good use of the new features on offer. On the eve of the Italian Grand Prix, the sixth round of the calendar, he occupies 9th position in the MotoGP World Championship after a solid sixth place at the French Grand Prix, followed by Maverick Vinales et Jorge Lorenzo. Pol Espargaro proved to be KTM's fastest rider to date. He fought at Le Mans with opponents such as Petrucci et Morbidely and knew how to use the new assets of his Austrian machine.
With its more competitive engine performance, KTM hopes to secure a top-ten finish for Mugello and Barcelona, venues which feature a one-kilometer straight. “ The best drivers can't overtake me as easily as in the past ", declared Pol on Sunday after the race."
The 2 Moto2013 World Champion specifies: “ the carbon swingarm brings something, the engine has changed, that helps us a lot. Because these new pieces give me a new feeling, I can now enter a new performance zone that was previously inaccessible. The higher we reach the limit, the quicker we find the strengths of our bike. These discoveries make me faster, because I like these advantages of the KTM ».
« I can't describe how much I loved racing this French Grand Prix. I was on the limit from the first to the last corner. I could have fallen… But I stayed on my wheels. It was incredible, in some places I compensated to contain Valentino and Petrucci only overtook me by hitting me. The opponents had to go to the limit to defeat us. This makes me really proud and curious for the next races. I can't wait to compete in FP1 at Mugello " finished Pol Espargaro on speedweek .
