KTM is both the latest manufacturer to arrive in MotoGP and the new winner in the category! Last Sunday, during the Czech Republic GP, they achieved the first stage of their dream, they were able to climb to the highest step of a podium in MotoGP.
KTM arrived in MotoGP with the clear objective of being able to develop a fast young Moto3 rider to win the MotoGP world championship. With their recent victory, they have taken a huge step towards achieving this.
In honor of their achievement, let's look back at the highlights of their MotoGP history and the changes that got them to where they are today.
In the first part of this look back, we return to the very beginning of KTM's ambitious MotoGP history.
KTM's MotoGP story officially begins in 2014, when Pit Beirer announced that KTM wanted to join the MotoGP category from the start of the 2017 season.
However, it was at the 2016 Austrian GP that KTM really got going. The bike was revealed at this event and it was announced that Mika Kallio would be riding a wildcard at the final round of 2016, in Valencia.
With a V4 engine and a frame formed from a tubular steel trellis, the KTM RC16 was clearly a thoroughbred dedicated to MotoGP and just by looking at it, it strongly resembled the Honda of the time, but it is actually quite different.
Notably, the steel trellis frame is what sets the RC16 apart from every other machine in the MotoGP field, being the only factory not to adopt the traditional twin-spar aluminum frame design.
During the Valencia GP in 2016, Mika Kallio participated in the final as planned. This was the first time we saw the RC16 on the track in a race, rather than testing. Kallio would qualify in 20th position 2,6 seconds behind the pole sitter, but they were last and that was a huge positive for KTM. In the race, Kallio retired due to an electronics problem, but despite the lack of pace and a DNF, it was a positive start for KTM.
Just two days later, KTM began its 2017 season at the Valencia test. Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith have left the Yamaha Monster Energy Tech 3 team to take their places as the first KTM factory riders.
This season marked the official start of KTM's life in MotoGP and fulfilled the promise that Pit Beirer made in 2014. However, it was clear from the start that KTM had work to do. The RC16 was difficult to ride, the engine was powerful but the bike was difficult to ride. Developments and adaptations were necessary with the electronics to make the RC16 engine more fluid and thus be able to use the power it had.
At the Sepang test in 2017, before the start of the season, KTM used an evolution of their chassis. The main beam has indeed changed a lot. It had been reduced to a single steel tube, rather than two, as they sought to refine the sensitivity and calm down the difficult-to-drive RC16.
Midway through the 2017 season, KTM was off to an impressive start! Several points had been scored by both drivers and a constant progression in reducing the time gap with the top drivers indicates that they were going in the right direction!
Chassis changes, swingarm adjustments, and advances in electronics have favored this progression. The aerodynamic fairing developed by KTM midway through the 2017 season also helped a lot. After Ducati started pushing the boundaries of what could be done with aerodynamics on motorcycles, KTM entered the game.
One thing KTM struggled with until 2017 was using the powerful V4 they had developed. The aerodynamic fairing helped reduce wheelie, meaning riders could focus more on throttle control and being gentle to ensure the tire didn't spin.
Earlier in this article we saw the chassis that KTM started the season with, well this is the one they competed with for the majority of the season.
It was a huge change, the tubular truss girders had been completely redesigned. They no longer had a single large beam that went the entire length of the machine. It had been reduced in diameter, most likely with the aim of introducing a little flexibility into the chassis to improve cornering behavior.
The junction in the beam that you can see just aft of the fairing is where the frame goes to the engine mount.
One thing with a tubular trellis frame is that it is much easier to make a completely new chassis compared to double-spar aluminum designs. KTM used this luxury to change frames several times through 2017 as they sought to find the features they wanted for their bike.
This chassis shown here was certainly preferred to the old one. Once pilots tested it, they changed it instantly and never went back to the old design.
While 2017 saw KTM go from the back of the grid to often fighting for the top 10, 2018 was a year that, on paper, seemed to have stalled, but that couldn't be further from the truth.
Indeed, 2018 was a difficult year in terms of results, they fought less for the top 10 but they were much more consistent and almost always finished with both drivers in the points.
Instead of huge changes with the chassis, KTM used 2018 as a year to work on electronics and utilize its powerful engine. Part of that was aerodynamic fairings. This design appeared earlier this year but was only tested a few times before being removed.
People wondered if KTM would be able to make a big leap forward after seemingly stagnating, but as we now know, 2018 was a year of groundwork, putting advancements behind the scenes so they could use them. in the future.
This was another one of those aerodynamic designs they tried in 2018. This will probably look familiar to you because it's very close to the one they used for the 2019 season. All their work behind the scenes allowed KTM to get his first podium in MotoGP during the last round in wet conditions!
So, let's recap a bit: KTM launched into the big leagues in 2016 with the intention of racing in 2017. Their inaugural season was a huge success, picking up speed as it went along and closing the gap with the best. Huge changes to the chassis, electronics and engine have them fighting for the top 10 at the end of their first season.
2018 may seem like a regression, but it was clear that KTM was working hard behind the scenes to improve the handling of its RC16. Electronics are half the game in MotoGP, so understanding them and knowing how to adjust them is one of the keys to success.
We will examine the 2019 season and the first part of 2020 in the 2nd part of this file. 2019 was a huge season for KTM, a season with a lot of worries but also a lot of success. There were rider and bike changes, but the winding path they experienced in 2019 ultimately led them to success in 2020.
