Warning :
Unlike the vast majority of articles on our site, this new section does not only report information, it leaves a certain freedom, even a certain freedom, to the thoughts of its author accustomed to the literary world who will publish under the pseudonym of Vernon Stoner.
Here, we relate, of course, but we also extrapolate, we speculate, we construct, in short, we discuss and exchange!
You have the right to respond in comments, to correct, to proclaim your indignation, or, at worst, if it really gives you heartburn, to change the section...
Are you still there? Little curious people, go… Come on, gaaazzzz!
No need to take a long leap into the past to find the taunts peddled against the Austrian factory following its arrival in MotoGP in 2017.
More or less crude jokes flourished daily on social networks, and many predicted a premature withdrawal of KTM who then passed for a bunch of pretentious people unaware of the quagmire into which they found themselves. Those who resisted orange juice had a field day, not depriving themselves of damaging the quality of the production motorcycles from Matthighofen. In defense of these slanderers with sometimes dubious humor, it must be recognized that the history of manufacturers new to the premier category suggested a completely different outcome in the short term.
A little history…
The MotoGP name was ratified in 2002 with the advent of four-stroke engines followed, from 2007-2008, by drastic changes to the regulations aimed at limiting costs. For your information, the last departure of a two-stroke motorcycle took place in 2003 during the Czech Republic Grand Prix. This state of affairs leads to many upheavals in the teams and some have difficulty making the transition while others, like Ducati et kawasaki, take advantage of this to try to find a place under this new sun.
The firm of Bologna made its debut in the 2.0 championship (#ecology) in 2003. Even if the results are honorable with a victory of Loris Capirossi from the first year, and a top 10 overall for both drivers, Capirex being seconded by Troy bayliss, for three years Ducati was never able to challenge for the crown. Those who already followed the Grands Prix at that time undoubtedly remember the controversies over the Red machines. Between reliability leaving something to be desired, and an engine too powerful for a chassis more comfortable in a straight line than in turns, few would have bet a kopeck on the Italian coronation. But, in 2007, an extraterrestrial arrived at Ducati in the person of Casey Stoner. The Australian offers the Holy Grail to the Desmosedici without silencing the criticism of the branded motorcycle Marlboro. Because, like a Marc Márquez and his RCV, Stoner seems to be the only one who can cope with the delicate Italian. Other big names like Melandri, regret Nicky Hayden, and even the revered Valentino Rossi, will also break their teeth there. Despite several vice-champion places, this title remains the only one to date gleaned by the staff of Borgo Panigale...
The course of Suzuki is different. If the Japanese factory already has a nice track record in Grand Prix racing, the four-stroke era is changing that. After the title of Kenny Roberts Jr. in 2000, the blues sank into a drought of success barely illuminated by a few episodic outbursts from Roberts, John Hopkins, and Chris Vermeulen. So much so that Suzuki withdrew from the Grand Prix in 2011 for economic reasons. The company ofHamamatsu is making its return in 2015 with great ambitions. Unfortunately, despite the good results of Maverick Vinales et Alex Rins, we are still a long way from considering a new world title and, if the gravel floodgates rain less than on Ducati, the fact remains that Suzuki is considered a second-rate team. As you know, Joan mir just set the record straight and silenced the evil tongues. Well, not quite, but that’s another story that I’ll tell you about soon…
Kawasaki also began the MotoGP era in 2003. If the brand is not number one in the land of the samurai, it remains a giant in the motorcycle industry with a respectable track record in Grand Prix racing in the seventies. But, there too, it was before... The first year was catastrophic and the pilotsAkashi finish respectively 22, 23, and 26th in the championship. The reinforcement of Shynia Nakano in 2004 brings relief to the heart with a first podium at home and a tenth place overall, in addition to fourth place in the manufacturer ahead of Suzuki, Aprilia, and a few brands that have fallen into oblivion such as Proton, Harris, and Moriwaki. Unfortunately, subsequently, despite several podiums, including those of our French Olivier Jacques et Randy de Puniet, the greens never really take off in the rankings and, in 2009, it was a dramatic turn of events. Kawa terminates his contract with Dorna and withdraws from MotoGP, leaving a legacy of a few private teams like Hayat which will not convince more.
Credit: MotoGP.com
And KTM in all this? How can a brand that doesn't even have a real sports car in the catalog (is it useful to talk about the attempt again? RC8 ?…) could win in the speed championship? Absurd, you say? Maybe not… It’s true that KTM had already made a foray into GP, but as a simple engine manufacturer for Proton. An experience undoubtedly useful, but far from enough.
The orange journey begins in 2017 with the thunderous Pol Espargaro, accompanied by the phlegmatic Bradley Smith, riding the juvenile RC16. The objective is clear, not to squat at the back of the grid all season. Unsurprisingly, no victory or pole position punctuates this introduction, but Espargaró, Smith, and Mika Kallio came to make a few wildcards, entered the top 10 several times, thus managing to briefly win a Pete Beirer watchful. The Spaniard finished the season 17th, followed by the Briton in 21st place. Despite these relatively good results, the world of motorcycling has a hard time and the jokes are once again mercilessly flooding social networks. But the Austrian is not the type to let himself be counted out and, far from being discouraged, KTM bows down and redoubles its efforts in 2018. Pol Espargaró's third place during the final round in Valencia in the rain proves that hard work always pays off in the end. The Spaniard progressed to 14th place overall, while the Englishman climbed to 18th place. But that's not all. The big news of the year is the creation of a satellite team with Tech 3 who, to everyone's surprise, leaves Yamaha to integrate the RC16 project.
Credit: MotoGP.com
For 2019, the French team Tech 3, ignoring a host of negative opinions predicting a descent into Hell, therefore joins against all expectations the fold of Mattighofen, training the double Moto 2 champion Johann zarco in its wake. The tricolor left the familyHervé Poncharal and is now an official pilot Red Bull KTM Factory Racing in place of Bradley Smith, relegated to development, and the season begins with high hopes. The orange armada, with four machines and a lively French driver, intends to confirm the Valencia podium and move up a gear. Is it really necessary to remind French bikers of the sequence of events?… Our national Johann will never do better than tenth at the GP of Catalonia, and will leave KTM prematurely two-thirds of the way through the season, subsequently admitting that this transfer is not It was not his choice but that of his former manager, Laurent Fellon. Meanwhile, the youngest of the Espargaró brothers continues his progression by entering the top 10 eight times, with a thirteenth place as his worst result, notwithstanding the retirements. The Spaniard is eleventh overall in 2019 and thus proves that the RC16 is on the right track. Miguel Oliveira, rookie at Tech 3, also confirms the Austrian evolution with correct results, including an eighth place at the Austrian GP in front of his employer. Miracle ? Not really. Because if there is a miracle, it is that of a certain Dani Pedrosa which, strangely, did not remain in the bosom of the HRC and was intelligently recruited as a test driver at the end of 2018. The Iberian driver has certainly never been crowned in the premier category, but he enjoys an impressive track record: 125 champion, double 250 champion, 31 pole position and 31 victories in MotoGP. Sorry! KTM made no mistake in securing the services of the young retiree. And in view of the 2020 season, no one can deny that the general progress of the RC16 (weight loss, quickly accessible adjustments, etc.), combined with a positive approach (we don't blame the bike when things don't happen well, and we work hard), in addition to the constructive remarks of the little Spaniard, transformed the little acid clementine into a large, very ripe orange. Judge instead:
Pol Espargaró: five podiums, fifth overall
Miguel Oliveira: two victories, ninth overall
Brad Binder (rookie): one victory, eleventh overall
Manufacturer ranking: fourth
Team ranking: third for KTM Factory, seventh for Tech 3
We can argue that the context, short season without Márquez, favored the outsiders, but we cannot dispute that this record easily compares with Ducati, Kawasaki, and Suzuki, having a much more consistent past in the field of speed. Like it or not, in just four years, the bike made in Mattighofen has silenced its most ardent detractors and proven that with iron tenacity and resources, quickly establishing itself as a top team at the highest level was possible. . Without forgetting that Tech 3's supposedly predictable descent into Hell resulted in the French team's first two victories in MotoGP... CQFD
The conquest of the world title must begin to turn in the head of Pit Beirer who we even saw smiling under his mask. What if the next young prodigy to arrive in the premier category opted for schnitzel rather than sushi or mama’s pasta…
Will this success give KTM the desire to look again at the project of a production sports car? Possible, we hear rumors here and there... There is no doubt that some bikers would be delighted to ride a different machine derived from a MotoGP, capable of winning races what's more. Hoping that reliability is there, and that the origami aesthetic is thoroughly reworked, of course.
Whatever the case, the haters on social networks are silent or are now praising the Austrian brand... And if not, your glass of pressed orange, with or without pulp?
Vernon
