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Austrian firm shows its true colours for the new season

KTM RC16 MotoGP bike launched

Written by Ben Purvis , Date 1:48 PM
KTM RC16

The KTM RC16 MotoGP challenger has been revealed in its race-ready paintscheme as the team prepares for its first full season of racing in the top class.

KTM is taking on both last year’s Tech 3 Yamaha riders, Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith, in its new venture. The KTM RC16 has already had a showing, with a wildcard appearance at last year’s Valencia round, ridden by Mika Kallio.

After being nearly two seconds from the fastest pace in the opening 2017 test at Sepang, both riders cut the gap under 1.5 seconds at last week’s Phillip Island test. That’s a decent improvement and will give hope that the bike will be able to come to terms with at least the mid-pack field as development continues. The KTM RC16’s use of WP suspension instead of the near-universal Ohlins kit used by others gives it a steep learning curved with little data to fall back on. That means big performance leaps should be possible as set-up is improved.

The final colour scheme is a development of the familiar Red Bull KTM paintwork.

Pol Espargaro said: “Right now the bull is a little bit wild, but it feels really good. KTM is really new to MotoGP compared to other brands and we’re making huge steps. Every time we jump on the bike we get closer and it’s beautiful to see the evolution. I want to thank KTM for trusting me, and for this project.”

Bradley Smith added: “There’s a lot of pressure. It’s something that you’ve always wished for and worked for throughout your career but when you finally get that opportunity there’s the pressure that comes with it. But I embrace the opportunity that I have and both me and Pol – and the team – will be working extremely hard. We’ve been busy so far already in the winter tests and the work won’t stop. It’s just the beginning and I’m excited to see what 2017 brings.”

Article Categories:   KTM News

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