KTM back to earth with a bang
KTM came crashing down to earth after the glory of their final race podium with newcomer Johann Zarco slamming the RC16 after crashing twice in the Valencia test and struggling to finish a distant 21st. The Frenchman’s comments offer a stark warning of the distance the Austrian manufacturer still has to go. Despite the KTM seemingly working well in both wet and dry at the Valencia race where Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith raced to third and eighth respectively, Zarco was less than impressed with his first test as a factory KTM rider. “It’s worse than I expected. We’re improving the feeling and I have better control of
‘It’s worse than I expected. I’m disappointed with the result’
the bike than I did at the start but the speed still isn’t there. I’m disappointed with the result and it’s a shame that I had two crashes but they helped us understand the weak point of the bike and the things I need to change with my riding style. It’s still too early to explain in detail what I need from the bike, but it’s possible that I need to change it quite a bit.
“My main problem is the entry of the corner. We’re not able to feel the tyre when I lean the bike and when I brake. We’re working on it to try to develop the bike but it’s sad that I had two crashes on the final day because they stopped me going faster.”