Petrucci is the second rider on the 2021 MotoGP field to embark on a new adventure with a bike that is unknown to him. In this case it is a KTM. The first contact took place on Saturday on the Losail track and as for Pol Espargaró who was getting to know the Honda, there was no divine revelation for Petrux on the RC16. He too will have to be patient and go through a learning phase...
The speeches are no longer valid and here we are on the track against the clock. An exercise that Danilo Petrucci accomplished with a KTM that he discovered. After a day on the route of losail, the Italian had to accept the domination of his teammate Iker Lecuona, more seasoned at RC16, even if the gap was not significant since the Spaniard was twenty-second.
After 60 rounds Petrucci managed only the 23rd time out of 29 participants. Only one regular rider was slower than the 30-year-old Italian from KTM Tech3 Factory Racing Team Hervé Poncharal. In this case the rookie Luca marini. " It was about getting an idea of the bike " said Petrux. “ It was a busy and intense day and I'm happy with the feeling I have for the bike. The conditions on the track were not ideal, especially at the start there was a strong wind. Of course, we are still far behind in terms of time. But I'm riding a new bike and Losail is a tough track ».
« We still need to look for a configuration that fits my size. Because I'm taller and heavier than any of my KTM colleagues. We are still looking for a basic setup and have tried a lot of things " developed Petrucci.
Petrucci is happy with the engine
« Some worked, some didn't. We still have a lot of work to do. But above all, I am happy to finally be able to ride the KTM for the first time. I am excited about this engine and its power delivery. But we are still far from a usable configuration. After all, we have already improved the base a little he acknowledges.
Danilo Petrucci, double winner of the MotoGP on Ducati, has already identified some of the strengths of the KTM RC16. “ You can brake really hard and late with this bike. What I miss most is the speed in the corners. I have too much traction for that. This is great because you can open the throttle and the bike will stay on the line. The enormous traction also relieves the load on the front wheel, so I was often carried too far into corners. I'm happy to have found such a reliable motorcycle. But we still have a lot of work to do. We only have one day behind us and four more to go... »
Danilo Petrucci ends by talking about the driving style to adopt on the RC16: “ I can ride the KTM very aggressively because the front wheel is very stable under hard braking. This means I can brake very late. But I still have to find the ideal balance. Because the KTM allows very late and sudden braking ". The pilot Tech3 will do it again this Sunday like the rest of his colleagues.
MotoGP Test Qatar 1 J1: times
