KTM might only bring 1 bike to Austria if Pol not fit
autosport.com/motogp/news/137879/brno-race-wa...
autosport.comPosted Aug 6, 2018, 3:34 PM UTC
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autosport.comFrom the panned 3 bikes down to 1. Its a shame for them at their home race.
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Brno race was KTM's 'worst day' since start of MotoGP project
KTM says its "disaster" on Sunday at Brno marked the "worst day" since the start of the Austrian marque's MotoGP project.
Pol Espargaro's warm-up crash, in which the Spanish rider broke his collarbone, reduced KTM's presence to just one bike in Sunday's race for Bradley Smith.
But Smith's race ended at the third corner when he was eliminated in a three-way melee triggered by Honda wildcard Stefan Bradl.
"Today was a disaster, the worst day since we started the project," said KTM team manager Mike Leitner.
"The only positive point is that after that crash Bradley was not hurt, he's OK."
With test rider Mika Kallio out injured after a Sachsenring crash, development duties for KTM's 2019-spec bike were transferred to Smith for the Brno weekend.
Smith had two new-spec engines to use during practice and qualifying, believed to feature a counter-rotating crankshaft, but he returned to the older version for warm-up and the race.
Leitner explained that some technical niggles with the new unit convinced KTM to revert to the older engine.
"We had some electrical issues, actually," he said. "Because also we don't have the test rider [Kallio] now, so you are forced to bring some things to the race team.
"Of course not everything works out in the first moment, the situation [is] we don't have Mika, it's making our life in the races harder.
"He [Smith] went to the old engine, the spec we are using this year, because we had small question marks and we don't want to take any risks."
Leitner said it was "99%" certain KTM will field a single bike in Austria for Smith if Espargaro is unfit to race, owing to a lack of available replacements at such short notice.
Kallio had also been due to race at the Red Bull Ring as a wildcard, but will not do so as he recovers from the surgery he had on his right knee after his Sachsenring crash.
"We would like to have two bikes at the home race, but you don't find these people around the corner," Leitner said.
"The people who can ride this kind of bike, they have contracts."
Regarding which engine Smith would use in Austria, Leitner added: "Most probably [we] will not do the home race with one rider playing [with different specifications]. We will play safe."
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Alex Hofmann?
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I haven't seen Alex on the bike since KTM's entry into motogp and who knows if he's fit enough on short notice.
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Still have big hopes for ktm but I think they will just slowly slip away and especially if they can’t provide Zarco with what he needs next year. At what point do the cut the cord?
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I do strongly believe KTM will get it right, it needs a marquee rider (Zarco does have quality), and retain the knowledge to make it happen. The very fact they aren't getting themselves in a tit twist means they're working hard with commitment to developing that bike.
Their Moto2 exploits are no fluke, neither is their motocross domination. In AMA Supercross, it took KTM a good 5 seasons to hit the jackpot, once that happened there has been no stopping them.
Give them time, it wont be the same issue when they were last in MotoGP in 2005 with the Roberts team.
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I'd personally love to see Binder be given the race. KTM need to have 2 bikes for their home race!
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I think it'd be a mistake not to have a second bike, it's their home race and having a second bike yields pretty valuable data for a team of their size.
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Why couldn't KTM enlist one of their Moto2 racers to step up for 1 race?
Miguel is in a close title battle, and no point for Brad because he wont be riding that bike for awhile
Lowes
I know they got money, but do they really want to be fixing that bike all weekend
Mate your name should be burnmoto4669.
good point to me this seems like the perfect opportunity to see how the "future star" handles pressure and how fast he is
How would that work out?
It's very difficult to learn a MotoGP bike during a race weekend. I imagine KTM is interested in the team battle in Moto2 as well, so Brad won't move up. Their Moto2 riders are better off concentrating on their Moto2 championships.
I agree it'd be cool for us as spectators though. We've seen plenty of inexperienced riders wildcard on MotoGP machinery, and not make a fool of themselves. (Like Michael van der Mark, late last year, stepping in for Folger on the Tech3 Yamaha.)
just ship alex marquez
Hell, they could get a moto3 rider to step up. Open it up, to a bunch of good moto3 riders, tell them they have to pay, or at least pay for crash damage, and let them at it.
The replacement rider probably won't do very well, but they could luck into something. You know that they're not going to get a very good result with just Smith.