In 13 Grands Prix, KTM starting rider Bradley Smith has scored 14 points. In 3 GPs, test driver Mika Kallio totaled 11. Smith in fourteenth preceded Kallio in sixteenth in Germany, then the Finn was ahead of the Englishman twice, tenth against eighteenth in Austria, then eleventh against nineteenth in Aragon.
Before Aragon, the scales were already not tipped in favor of Bradley. When he finished there 36 seconds behind winner Marc Marquez, it hardly stood comparison with Mika's 17 seconds.
The good news for Smith is that he has a two-year contract (2017 and 2018). The bad news is that his contract contains a performance clause, and if he doesn't perform well enough, KTM is not obliged to keep him next year. Kallio, for his part, is dying to return to GP full-time, and he is doing everything he can on the track to try to convince his Austrian employer. But if being in front of Bradley Smith is positive, being behind Pol Espargaro is less so. But the gap between the Finn and the Spaniard was not huge in Aragon, Espargaro finishing tenth, 14 seconds behind the winner, and Kallio eleventh at 17.
“Six wild cards are definitely planned for 2018. They are already secured. This is the maximum number per season. We have two permanent drivers with Pol Espargaró and Bradley Smith who have specific contracts. Therefore, the plan is to continue this way. But if Mika continues to put so much pressure, we will have to examine the situation very carefully said KTM Motorsport Director Pit Beirer.
In the TV show “Sport und Talk aus dem Hangar-7” on Servus TV, Beirer explained “ There will be no decision made before Valencia. There, the two will meet again. But it is already a fact that direct comparison is better during races. However, we will have three KTM riders starting six races as wild cards next year. »
Photo credits: Philip Platzer + Dan Istitene Getty Images + Gold & Goose for KTM
Source: speed week
