After four Grands Prix contested in this 2019 season, the boss of KTM, Stefan pierer, did not only take stock of the case of his new recruit Johann zarco. If the Frenchman was identified by the boss as a disappointment who will have to transform into satisfaction or disappear prematurely from the landscape, the same lightning fell on the troops in charge of the Moto2 project...
In an interview with Speedweek, the CEO of the Mattighofen brand didn't just talk about MotoGP. He also commented on Moto2 and Moto3, where his coat of arms also competes: “ I am very angry with our Moto2 project. I'm talking about the development of the bike, not the riders, because we have Brad Binder, who is the best in the category. At Le Mans, you will be able to see progress in terms of equipment. Moto3 is a very interesting category in which talented young people always emerge ».
So in Moto2, we will have to raise our level of play from the next meeting at Le Mans. A deadline that the KTM men prepared during the test day at Jerez where we saw a new framework used. Binder and his teammate, Jorge Martin, debutant in Moto2, drew positive conclusions at the end of the day of testing in Jerez. However, there was no official timing. “ It was a very positive test after a difficult weekend. We have found several things that can help us, and the direction taken is undoubtedly the right one. We tried different solutions to improve grip, which was one of the most urgent things » said the previous year's Moto3 World Champion, who finished 15th twice in the first four races of the year.
Binder also had problems on Tuesday with higher asphalt temperatures, but in the last session of the test day the turnaround came: “ we tried a completely different setup and I felt much more comfortable on the bike. This is what we were looking for. We've always had to struggle with chattering, but now it's easier » declared the South African.
Of course, the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team was also part of the Jerez tests. “ We tested a lot of things, we had a lot to do with KTM » declared the German Philipp Ottl, still looking for his first points in Moto2. “ It was a very interesting but also very intense day. We found some interesting things and I think we can expect improvements for Le Mans. Overall, I felt better on Tuesday than the weekend said the newcomer, who completed 77 laps in testing.
« It was a difficult test, but we tried a lot and collected a lot of information, some positive and some not so much. » analyzed his Tech3 teammate, Marco Bezzecchi. " We're still struggling a bit, but we're trying to find a way to improve the bike. The team worked very well, KTM also helps us a lot. I think we will see the results of our work at Le Mans » declares the Italian with confidence.
