After a break of less than a week since the final tests in Brno, the KTM MotoGP factory team went directly to Jerez, where it was able to continue its testing of the RC16 with blue skies during the two days of Thursday and Friday, and constant temperatures of 30° in the air and 50° on the track.
This allowed the team to confirm the progress made last week on a different circuit, as well as test the equipment in extreme conditions for reliability and performance.
Alongside Mika Kallio, who was doing his 6th test there, Randy de Puniet was joined on the second bike.
Mike leitner: “the team and drivers came directly here from Brno, very motivated. It had been a while since Randy de Puniet had ridden the bike, but it was very important for us, so that he could notice a clear improvement. This shows us that we have an extremely good driver in Mika Kallio. Pragmatically, we saved a test in Malaysia due to the very high temperatures, and this is positive for the progress of our development.
Sebastian Risse: “The main objective here was to confirm the step forward in the development carried out in Brno. Regardless, the conditions, especially on the first day, allowed us to shed some light on how our equipment performs in extreme conditions, and we didn't have any major issues. For the first time we also had Michelin tires very similar to those used in the Grand Prix on this circuit. “Because of this, we were able to work on the settings in different ways, and we saw a significant improvement in the times compared to the previous tests in the spring.”
Mika Kallio: “The testing days, last week in Brno, and now here in Jerez, have been very productive for the team. As a driver, I am very happy with the progress we have worked on together. The bike behaves on the track more and more like I would like it to. It wasn't so easy for us to make big steps in the last two months, and it was even more important now that the times are coming. This is also good for team motivation. I think we made the breakthrough development just at the right time, before we compare ourselves with the competition in a short time.”
Randy de Puniet: “It's been a while since my last test of the bike, during the first test in Brno at the end of April. The team has done an excellent job and the bike has improved significantly; the engine, chassis and electronics have all progressed. We were also able to make some other improvements here, and set some good lap times. For me this was the best test yet. I enjoyed the two days on the bike, and I'm ready for Aragon, which will probably be my next ride. ”
The KTM MotoGP Factory Racing team is now working intensively on the KTM RC16 in the new building in Munderfing (Austria) before testing continues in Italy in two weeks, on a new circuit and with another new test rider .
Tom Luthi?
