VOL. 53 ISSUE 32 AUGUST 16, 2016 P43
KTM'S BEAUTIFUL RC16 FORMALLY UNVEILED
K
TM's return to the MotoGP
class was launched in a good-
natured ceremony in the press
room, with the current version of
the RC16 V4 on display, and test
rider Mikka Kallio joining KTM
boss Stefan Pierer and racing
chief Pit Beirer on the stage.
The Austrian company had in
ill-fated and under-budgeted at-
tempt in 2005, supplying engines
to an equally cash-strapped Team
Roberts, but did not complete the
season. This second attempt has
little in common, after extensive
development and testing, backed
by a company that has in the
interim grown from 800 to 2800
employees, has all but taken con-
trol of Moto3, and is now the big-
gest bike manufacturer in Europe
and still growing.
The decision to rejoin the big
class dates back to 2014, after the
company had been turned down
as engine supplier for Moto2. Ac-
cording to Dorna CEO Carmelo
Ezpeleta, "it was not difficult to
convince them to join MotoGP
instead."
Typically, the bike is a little dif-
ferent from the norm. While the
V4 engine is par for the course,
the use of WP rather than Ohlins
suspension is unique in the class,
and likewise the steel tubular
chassis. It is similar to the tube
chassis in their Moto3 bike.
According to technical director
Sebastian Risse, this was more a
matter of familiarity with the mate-
rial than a desire to buck con-
vention. "You have to know the
advantages and disadvantages,
and then use them," he said.
According to the company's
motor-sport chief Pit Beirer, the
infrastructure was already in place
to run two riders. "We are ready
to race now. We have two crews
and strong engines that didn't
break. We have tested on all
kinds of tracks with big and small
riders. And we are not dramati-
cally far away."
At Red Bull Ring tests before
the summer break, the first time
KTM had met their potential rivals,
test rider Kallio was less than
two seconds off the flying factory
Dukes, and a half-second off the
privateer Hondas. Also faster than
(the admittedly injured) Loris Baz.
The factory men were coy
about several details. Asked
whether the crank rotated forward
or backwards, they declined to
give details, although Risse said,
"We have done simulations of
both to study the effects."
Nor was the vee-angle re-
vealed, beyond saying that it
was "within the tolerance" of a
balance-perfect 90-degrees, to
obviate any need of a balance
shaft. Finally, Pierer said, "it is
different from our earlier engine.
And a little less than 90 degrees."
That earlier engine was the
most powerful of the 990 era,
thanks to designer Kurt Trieb's
background in F1. For the same
reason it didn't really suit a motor-
cycle application, and was also
hampered by primitive electron-
ics. It was supplied to Team Rob-
erts, but soon after the midpoint
of the year, KTM backed out.
The KTM was to run a dem-
onstration lap on race day, and
is down to race at Valencia in the
hands of Kallio in a wild card ride,
with new riders Bradley Smith
and Pol Espargaro taking over for
tests in the following days.
Michael Scott
KTM's RC16 will
make its race debut
at the season-ending
Valenica MotoGP.
