After a difficult Grand Prix of San Marino for KTM and, in particular, for Miguel Oliveira, who finished in 20th position, the Misano test served as an opportunity to straighten the course for the Austrian manufacturer. The two days of testing bore fruit for the Portuguese, with the improvement of the lap time and the testing of new aerodynamic elements.
“The tests have been good because we have set much better times, and that is what we really lacked during the weekend,” Oliveira commented. “We were able to work quite a bit on the set-up [on Tuesday] to understand what we could do better for me and how to be faster. We tried some aero parts [on Wednesday]. There were positives and negatives. A classic test day, but we found good direction and I had a good feeling. I hope we can put them together and have a good package for the end of the season.”
The Portuguese urgently needed these advances. In the last five races he has only picked up two points and, although his wrist injury at Spielberg has played against him, his RC16 has suffered a real anomaly that was revealed in the two days of testing this week.
“We identified some things, especially in the electronics, that were really bad. It has allowed me to feel good with the bike and I have felt that I recovered ‘my bike’, which I had been missing for a few races. It is something that we have identified, corrected, and I hope it will be a good solution for the next races”.
Oliveira did not want to specify the exact nature of the problem, although he hopes that it has been definitively solved: “Yes, that’s why we did tests. Otherwise, we will look like amateurs. I hope so.”
These solutions were found after several weeks of doubts, so the Misano test could be a turning point for the KTM rider.
“I always try to get to the race weekends as motivated as possible, and I think I can do it despite the bad results. I leave Misano happier than I arrived, because I have performed well, I have made good times”, concluded.
(Before reading on, click on the link or on the image to see the photos of the MotoGP test in Misano)
“We didn’t do a time attack in these two days because I didn’t ask for it, the program was a bit different. I think that at the end of October we will be able to show that we have made progress. My feelings on the bike are more or less back to normal. It’s positive and that’s why we’re going to Texas satisfied with having done a good job.”
KTM does not miss the concessions
KTM is experiencing a roller coaster ride this season, with a very difficult start, a rebound thanks to the new chassis introduced at Mugello, Oliveira’s victory in Barcelona and problems recently except for Brad Binder’s win in the rain in Austria.
The good results of last year deprived KTM of the concessions in 2021 and the regular riders can no longer participate in the private tests. Oliveira does not know if the brand is suffering from the loss of this advantage, although he admits that the tests allowed him to face the races more calmly in his first two seasons in MotoGP.
“I cannot identify a direct relationship between the lack of testing with the official riders and the lack of performance, but I can say that it was an advantage to have those extra days. We knew the bike better. We were doing several days of testing, so when we started After a 45-minute session, we already knew what to do and how the bike would behave. Now it puts us on the same level as the others.”
“Maybe it will take more time, but I don’t see a relationship between the poor performance or the results with the lack of concessions. For sure we don’t have that advantage anymore, but we ‘deserve’ not to have more tests. The test team has to do the work and we just have to confirm that and the ideas from the race weekends in our tests.”
Despite the progress made this week, the man from Pragal is cautious when making predictions for the GP of the Americas . The World Championship has not visited Austin since the start of the 2019 season, its first in MotoGP, and the RC16 has changed a lot in these two and a half years, making any forecast impossible.
“If I’m 100% honest, I have no idea, because the last time we were there it was my third race. It wasn’t performing very well, it was the 2019 bike, which was very special. We’ve come a long way since then. We’ll see. It will be a weekend of discoveries. We will have to see the conditions. We will have four types of tires because they have resurfaced the track in several places. We will have to understand the allocation of tires. It will be a challenge. We arrive with an open mind and really willing to work “.
