P134
CN
III IN THE PADDOCK
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
D
orna's quest, through
years of increasingly
restrictive cost-cutting
tech regs, was two-fold: to make
the racing closer by hobbling
the free-spending factory teams
(succeeded) and as a corollary
to attract more factories (suc-
ceeded).
Put the two together, though,
and they don't necessarily add
up. Which is to say, just because
you are a newly arrived factory
in a more easily competitive pre-
mier class doesn't necessarily
open the door to success.
Just ask Aprilia.
What does succeed in racing?
Wise former champion and later
renowned Yamaha crew chief
Kel Carruthers explained this
to me many years ago in typical
matter-of-fact way: "It's what suc-
ceeded last year, plus a couple
of percent."
One MotoGP factory has
been trashing this rule. KTM's
rate of improvement, since the
orange Austrian bikes' 2014
MotoGP arrival has been a great
deal more than "a couple of
percent" each year.
Now their fourth season has
begun with the RC16 showing
strong signs of being properly
competitive, a genuine threat. It
makes a stern Germanic con-
trast to Aprilia's Italian comic
opera, struggling since 2014.
One doesn't want to overplay
national stereotypes, and Aprilia
has long been hugely successful
in racing. Their total domination
in 125 and 250 was a factor in
MONEY,
METHOD,
MOTIVATION—
AND MORE
MONEY
NOW THEIR
FOURTH SEASON
HAS BEGUN
WITH THE RC16
SHOWING STRONG
SIGNS OF BEING
PROPERLY
COMPETITIVE, A
GENUINE THREAT.
IT MAKES A
STERN GERMANIC
CONTRAST TO
APRILIA'S ITALIAN
COMIC OPERA,
STRUGGLING
SINCE 2014.
