Photo: KTM Racing
Red Bull KTM factory racing team announced it is ready to roll on the throttle into the Qatar Grand Prix after the final MotoGP IRTA test at the Losail Circuit.
Following the tropical conditions at the Malaysian circuit of Sepang and the MotoGP IRTA tests at the scenic Australian circuit at Phillip Island, the team encountered the desert conditions of Qatar this week for the final three-day pre-season testing.
The first day came with typical conditions for the circuit, with air and track temperatures hitting around 30 degrees Celsius, but the riders had to deal with a strong wind and very difficult grip conditions with dust from the desert getting laid on the asphalt. Pol Epargaro had two spills due to this situation.
“We have good ideas but for sure the lap times could be better,” said Pol. “Right now we want to focus more on the race. We’re still missing some acceleration and compared with the other factory bikes still something in the corners. We're okay with the brakes, but we lose some time with the traction and the electronics."
Day two was overcast with some raindrops trying to stop the pilots from testing their machines. This put Bradley Smith into a tough situation, and he ultimately had a small crash. The riders managed to consistently improve their lap times on Sunday, the final test day, and also post their best lap times of the three-day session.
“Looking at the lap times, we have to find another half a second,” Bradley explains. “We’re close to the two guys in front but then there’s a gap to the next group, and that’s where we want to be if we want to fight for points.”
In addition to testing out various engine and chassis configurations, KTM also concentrated on further developing various electronics, and on setting up the bike for the first race of the 2017 season.
The first day came with typical conditions for the circuit, with air and track temperatures hitting around 30 degrees Celsius, but the riders had to deal with a strong wind and very difficult grip conditions with dust from the desert getting laid on the asphalt. Pol Epargaro had two spills due to this situation.
“We have good ideas but for sure the lap times could be better,” said Pol. “Right now we want to focus more on the race. We’re still missing some acceleration and compared with the other factory bikes still something in the corners. We're okay with the brakes, but we lose some time with the traction and the electronics."
Day two was overcast with some raindrops trying to stop the pilots from testing their machines. This put Bradley Smith into a tough situation, and he ultimately had a small crash. The riders managed to consistently improve their lap times on Sunday, the final test day, and also post their best lap times of the three-day session.
“Looking at the lap times, we have to find another half a second,” Bradley explains. “We’re close to the two guys in front but then there’s a gap to the next group, and that’s where we want to be if we want to fight for points.”
In addition to testing out various engine and chassis configurations, KTM also concentrated on further developing various electronics, and on setting up the bike for the first race of the 2017 season.
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