KTM has worked on the past, present, and future parts during Catalunya MotoGP this Monday, along with the top seven from the past four races.
The latest development, the revised R16 chassis, has been the highlight and the last parts displayed, including the original 2022 fairing. This year, KTM used a front wing plus sidepods set-up before using its 2021- style configuration again by removing the sidepods. It was considered a fair upgrade for the rider in this season.
However, both the packages, with or without sidepods are not for use purposes. This way, it has the benefit of retesting and gaining a better understanding of them.
At Mugello, Miguel Oliveira explained that the aero package they had forced them to go in a different direction with settling, which they are not used to. He talked about its pros and cons and how turning was affected by it. He said that without pods, they can actually move in a normal setting and turn faster. However, for them, turning is something that still needs correction.
On the other hand, Tech3’s Remy Gardner said that natural turning is the only improvement they are hoping for desperately. Moreover, the teammate of Oliveria factory, Brad Binder, who also secured eighth in the race was considered the fastest rider of the orange team on Monday.
He said that they got the opportunity to ex-post several things and try something new. However, they have to aim at gathering more information and give the team a good direction that will help them to head towards the future. He also said that he tried the new chassis and discovered both the positives and negatives. But, they need to consider the positive part to lead the race. Therefore, he is well aware of both the aero packages now and also had enough time to play around with them. Further, he is excited to see what is more to come.
Another one on the timesheets was Oliveria, who was in the fourteenth position and was only 0.641s behind the Yamaha’s race winner, Fabio Quartararo. According to him, they have the best lap-time in the hot condition with the medium rear tires, and it was not that bad. He also explained about conducting tests for some small things, including the setting with the swingarm, and then delivered some feedback. They were all positive, particularly for a low grip track, and made their purpose of focusing on them.
Remy Gardner was a little bit slower than Oliveria. So, he was working on the new chassis and both the aero options. He was also working on his time attacks.
After finishing the MotoGP in the eleventh position, he said that he had a very positive day and also made some improvements that he was happy with. They tried a few unexpectedly positive things and encourage them to study for the next race as well.
He further said that he had fun while riding the laps and learned a lot of things about the bikes and the tyres. It gave him the confidence to move ahead in the race. He increased his speed whenever required and also maintained a good pace throughout. They tried different parts to feel better while braking.
He again talked about the good and bad points and said to work further in converting the bads into goods. He feels that he was good this weekend after acquiring satisfactory results on Sunday and today. And he is feeling positive about what is coming next for him.
His teammate and fellow rookie Raul Fernandez, who secured his first premier class point in the fifteenth position on Sunday and 22nd on Monday was last on the timesheet. He was focusing on improving the feeling of corner entry, along with the new chassis as it was also designed to improve.
He said that he was more about focusing on tiring to resolve the weaknesses that they have been facing since the beginning of the season. The team is also focusing on his riding as they have tried some setups on the front of the bike to help him feel more confident while entering the corners. This way, he will be able to put more effort into the race.
Another thing that he has been struggling with is managing the tire for the second half of the race. Therefore, they have to work with the race pace using the already used tires. By doing so, they come across some interesting things that they can use for the upcoming events.
The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager, Francesco Guidotti considered it an important day. He further said that they are already half of the season, and checking thoroughly has become very significant. He left the audience in suspense by hinting to them about bringing something new in the future.
He said that they will need something to analyze the information as we worked through some suspension, electronics, and adjustments to the frame. Although the conditions are not that easy, particularly with the level of grip, it is significant to have more comparisons.
Apart from KTM, Yamaha is the other manufacturer that has introduced its in-season aero update so far.