Both KTM riders lapped extensively during these tests in Spain, in the absence of any other test rider for the Austrian manufacturer, with for example 142 laps for Bradley Smith. On the first day, the Briton finished ninth overall and seventh in MotoGP in 1'39.353, 1.073 behind Andrea Iannone.
On Thursday, Bradley climbed to tenth position in 1'38.900, 1.237 behind the new unofficial track record set by Andrea Dovizioso. Finally he finished on Friday in eighth place in 1'38.688, 0.702 behind Johnny Rea and his Kawasaki ZX-10R. Most of the work in Jerez focused on the rear suspension, chassis, shock absorber and swingarm.
According to Bradley Smith, who are " This is what I needed to test: concentrate on the rear of the bike in order to have more grip in the second half of the race and not lose performance. That was my main target in Valencia and here in Jerez because in the last few races I was strong at the start, but then that strength disappeared. »
“I think we made some important steps in the long term, so the absolute lap time was not the focal point as we focused on the rear shocks and swingarms during these five days to confirm the direction at follow. »
“Obviously the two circuits are very different, which allowed us to accumulate a lot of data, but the good thing about Jerez is that there are fast and slow corners as well as big hard braking with quick sequences so we can get an idea of what works or not. »
“So, yes, we have made changes and we have progressed, in addition to my driving which is also improving, which I am happy with. »
“I wish I had the bike I have now at Philip Island, but that’s the progression of the KTM! Being a second ahead is a bit too much for me, but it's acceptable at this time of year with the plan we have. »
To Sebastian Risse, MotoGP Technical Director, “ We didn't have a 2018 bike here, but we decided to work on individual components and make decisions based on how they performed.
“Now we have time to put it all together. If you look at what we accomplished in these two tests, I would say the main thing was consistency and the ability to push with new and used tires in order to make the bike perform better because that's what you risk missing when you do several steps at the same time during development.
“Now we've found a few pieces that make this set significantly better. Looking at the lap times against the competitors, we are obviously happy with our position and what we have achieved during the season, so it's good to pause now to think about everything. It was a very good end to a very good year. »
Test results:
1. Andrea Dovizioso (I), Ducati, 1'37.663
2. Cal Crutchlow (GB), Honda, +0.155
3. Jorge Lorenzo (E), Ducati, +0.258
4. Andrea Iannone (I), Suzuki, + 0.367
5. Pol Espargaró (E), KTM, +0.567
6. Alex Rins (E), Suzuki, +0.644
7. Tito Rabat (E), Ducati, +0.725
8. Danilo Petrucci (I), Ducati, +0.944
9 Bradley Smith (GB), KTM, +1.058
10. Scott Redding (GB), Aprilia, +1.115
11. Jack Miller (AUS), Ducati, +1.213
12. Franco Morbidelli (I), Honda, 1.260
13. Takaaki Nakagami (J), Honda, +1.329
14. Eugene Laverty (NIR), Aprilia, +1.823
15. Alex Marquez (E), Honda, +2.119
16. Xavier Simeon (B), Ducati, +2,669
17. Takumi Takahashi (J), Honda, 3,459
Photo credit: Jesús Robledo for KTM
