In the first part of this file, we looked at KTM's development from its first Grand Prix appearance in 2016, through to the end of the 2018 season.
We will now focus on undoubtedly the biggest year for the Austrian factory: 2019. It was a year marked by enormous progress and enormous pitfalls. With the signing of Johann Zarco, the team now had two big name riders, it seemed like all the pieces of the puzzle were in place for KTM to start breaking into the top 5.
The addition of a satellite team with the arrival of Tech3 Racing also helped, doubling the amount of data they were able to collect. However, this year didn't go as KTM hoped, but in this article we'll see why it was a blessing in disguise.
One of the biggest pieces of the puzzle last year was the introduction of a carbon swingarm.
As soon as the pilots tested it, they preferred it to the aluminum version. Pol Espargaro was extremely positive about it, saying that it improved the rear of the bike a lot. He was able to preserve his tires and increase their lifespan, but this new part also made it easier to change direction of the bike and put less weight on the tire when accelerating.
It was a huge success and after drivers started racing with it, their results steadily improved.
KTM expanded its GP project in 2019 by including a satellite team, Tech3 Racing. Tech3 has been a key team in the paddock for 20 years. Their knowledge and professionalism were perfect for KTM.
With two additional riders, KTM could test more parts and collect more data from their RC16 in order to improve the bike.
During the 2019 season, the bike had changed compared to the previous season: a new aerodynamic fairing, a new swingarm, new exhausts and a new seat/rear shell assembly. The chassis of the motorcycle had also undergone further modifications and a new fuel tank appeared to change the mass centralization of the motorcycle.
Everything was ready at KTM, but the new recruit at the time, Johann Zarco, struggled with the handling of the RC16. His comments prompted multiple chassis modifications to try to make the RC16 easier to tame.
Looking closely at the frame, particularly above the swingarm pivot, you can see that this area has changed several times throughout the 2019 season.
This is the aerodynamic fairing used by the riders in 2019. Over the course of the year, the fairing kept its shape, with the flat parts on the sides but with the addition of two curved wings.
This is the testing prototype that Dani Pedrosa used during the mid-season test in Misano. Pedrosa was one of KTM's biggest successes. Signing him after his retirement, Dani proved to be one of the biggest weapons KTM had in its arsenal as it developed its RC16.
At the frame level, just above the swingarm pivot, we note the presence of an additional bolt which did not exist before.
Here is another modified frame. We can see an engine mount just above the swingarm pivot, but there's actually no engine bolt in it. Zarco tried this often and he sought to achieve different flexing characteristics.
Here is this same frame at the end of season test in Jerez. You can clearly see here that the motor mount has a bolt. This motorcycle actually belongs to Brad Binder. Instead of immediately putting him on the new chassis late last year, they decided to let him get acquainted with the old bike before having him test the new 16 RC2020.
And here is this new chassis. The main beam is now much larger, having an oval shape which contributes to braking and acceleration stability while maintaining lateral flexion to improve cornering.
When the new prototype was revealed, Pol Espargaro raved about its quality, saying it was better in almost every area. It ran better, stopped better, and allowed them to use the RC16's engine power much more easily.
One of the most visible changes we saw from KTM was their new aerodynamic fairing for 2020. Dubbed the sharktooth fairing, the bike now has a much more aggressive look. The new intake was designed around a new airbox and engine to squeeze as much horsepower out of it as possible.
The new fins were much larger and seemed to follow the design that Honda and Suzuki had adopted.
But the really cool feature of this fairing is the shark teeth. Serrated edges that prevent the formation of large vortices by breaking them into several smaller ones to increase aerodynamic efficiency.
So what was the result of all these changes? This led them to win their first ever premier class race just a week ago.
The history of KTM is remarkable. After only four years in the premier category, they achieved their first victory. Binder's victory on Sunday didn't just fulfill a driver's dream, it fulfilled the dream of an entire factory. Brad Binder and KTM etched their name in motorcycle racing history
