A handful of MotoGP test riders complete two days of private testing at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. While the main attraction of the day was Maverick Viñales, who took his first spin on the Aprilia, KTM also made some improvements on track.
Mika Kallio was photographed on the Italian track with a prototype of the RC16 equipped with a new air intake and a completely new aerodynamic package which includes a set of additional fins arranged lower on the side fairing. Additionally, there was an air pressure sensor protruding from the front of his machine.
Mika Kallio was testing a new air intake. From the outside, the air intake and the new aerodynamic assembly were the only visible technical developments.
Often when teams test new air intakes it could mean they are testing a new engine for the following season, but it is unclear if this was the aim of Mattighofen's brand. It can also allow them to change how air is delivered to the engine, and therefore how power is delivered to the wheel.
On Dani Pedrosa's RC16, we observe the differences regarding the intake and current aerodynamics. Note however that Dani Pedrosa is the only KTM rider to use the slimmer front fairing. The four KTM riders entered in the 2021 Championship and the second test rider, Mika Kallio, use the wider one that they adopted from 2020.
Also, it's hard to see, but Dani Pedrosa was also testing a different swingarm, which we already saw on track during the Barcelona test. On the prototype pictured here, the lower edge of the swingarm curves, whereas on Mika Kallio's machine it is not as curved and has a different shape.
This is the new swingarm in question, pictured here at the official test in Catalonia a few months ago.
We can't miss here the air pressure sensor protrudes in front of the RC16. It's a pitot tube, and its usefulness is limited to calibrating the speed of the motorcycle. Until now this is calculated according to the rotation speed of the rear wheel, but the tire is not a stable element for this type of calculation: It wears out over the revolutions, then losing in diameter and weight (up to 1 kilo during a race). The dynamic pressure of the air remains solely dependent on speed and constitutes one more element to refine the computer calculations.
Photos: Dorna Sports
