FEATURE I 2022 FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
P94
KTM
If testing was solely about lap
times, alarm bells would be ringing
at KTM HQ. Yet after an admittedly
shaky start in Malaysia, factory rid-
ers Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira
were more assured after three days
of testing in Indonesia, even if the
lap times didn't show it.
KTM certainly means business
in 2022. Racing boss Mike Leitner
has been ushered out of the team.
Francesco Guidotti, formerly of
Pramac Ducati, is the German's
replacement. More importantly, Fa-
biano Sterlacchini was headhunted
from Ducati last summer. The Italian
was regarded as technical guru Gigi
Dall'Igna's right-hand man, and his
influence on preseason was already
apparent.
There was a new testing strategy
that placed priority on reassessing
parts used last year and fine tuning
the '22 RC16—an evolution on its
predecessor—rather than building
a new bike. As Technical Manager
Sebastian Risse explained, "Firstly,
we did not bring a completely differ-
ent bike to these tests. We did bring
a lot of different parts so, in the
end, we made a different bike out of
those but we put a lot of effort into
making those interchangeable so
you can test them one-by-one and
assess more easily what is posi-
tive and negative; then hopefully
put everything together for the best
mix. Secondly, we really took a lot
of time to get the best out of those
components."
Through that, it has settled on an
improved aero package for '22. De-
spite modest times, Binder believes
he can extract more from a new tire
in qualifying trim than a year ago,
while managing tire life is still one
of the bike's strengths. Traction on
exit from low-gear corners remains
an issue, but if the South African is
to be believed, they aren't far away.
"How I'm feeling now compared to
how I felt going into Qatar last year,
this is 10 times better," he said.
Satellite runners Remy Gardner and
Raul Fernandez should both be in
contention for the Rookie of the Year
title, too.
CN
KTM's test times were not dazzling
but the race winners from 2020
and 2021 believe the devil is in the
testing details. They'll be ready to
rock come round one.
