KTM mulling over new aero after ‘intense’ MotoGP test

KTM is considering introducing a new aerodynamic specification in the next MotoGP round after an “intense” test day at Jerez.

The MotoGP field stayed back at the Andalucian circuit for a day of testing after the Spanish round, where Red Bull KTM Factory Racing finished one-three in the Sprint and two-three in the Grand Prix race.

Brad Binder was eighth-quickest on Monday and Jack Miller 14th, with both trying out the aero which test rider Dani Pedrosa used in his wildcard appearance in the Spanish Grand Prix.

However, there was additional new sidepod to sample, while Pedrosa cut laps on a new chassis.

Miller said, “It’s fantastic when you work with a factory that is pushing so much.

“We had a lot of items to test and now we just need to analyse the data to know what was better and what is maybe not so necessary.

“We tried some aero options but we’ll wait and see what we use next. The bike is really good but we are also doing a really good job as a team.

“There are no specific weak points but we still have some areas that we’d like to improve.

“We made some steps today even though, as always on a Monday, there was a lot of rubber down and the track was fast.

“Our acceleration is really good and now we just want to understand what we’ll take to Le Mans.”

Sebastian Risse, Red Bull KTM Technical Manager MotoGP, added, “We’ve had a very intense test day after a successful weekend and there are not many days like this during the season where you can work on things outside of the homologation, so we had a lot to do.

“We did a lot of test runs and gathered a lot of information and for that we’re happy with the outcome. We worked a lot on the aero side because there is a second homologation open.

“We also worked on chassis, electronics, torque delivery and we found some interesting aspects that we hope we can improve in the next races and take the benefit.”

The French MotoGP round will be held at Le Mans (Bugatti Circuit) on May 12-14.