Keputusan mengejut oleh Johann Zarco untuk meninggalkan pasukan KTM hujung musim ini mencetuskan persoalan, siapa yang bakal menjadi penggantinya bagi musim 2020?
Tatkala rata-rata pelumba lain telah pun terikat, timbul dakwaan bahawa slot Zarco akan diisi pelumba muda Tech3, Miguel Oliveira.
Pelumba Portugal itu tampak sebagai calon terbaik apatah lagi secara tidak langsung memiliki kontrak bersama KTM di Tech3.
Bagaimanapun, sekiranya senario itu direalisasikan pastinya akan memeningkan kepada pengurus Tech3, Herve Poncharal, yang tidak sabar menyaksikan gandingan Oliveira dan Bradn Binder musim depan.
“Saya sangat teruja dan bangga kerana kami memiliki gandingan terbaik bagi musim depan.
“Miguel (Oliveira) seorang pelumba yang hebat. Saya sudah mengenalinya untuk beberapa tahun dan dia seorang yang baik.
“Keputusan yang dilakar di Austria cukup membanggakan kerana meskipun tidak mendapat pakej yang mantap dia masih mampu mencatat keputusan baik. Saya anggap dia sebagai seorang hero.
“Miguel dan Brad (Binder) pernah sepasukan sebelum ini tetapi saya dapat berasakan saingan sengit bakal ditampilkan kedua-dua pelumba ini.
“Ketika saya sedang membayangan segala kemungkinan yang boleh dicapai dengan gandingan Miguel dan Brad tiba-tiba boom! Zarco membuat pengumuman mengejutkan itu!” jelas Poncharal.
Poncharal telah ditanyakan tentang masa depan Oliveira berkali-kali dan ketika ini soalan itu merupakan pertanyaan wajib di setiap sidang media.
Bagaimanapun, dia boleh menarik nafas lega takala pengurus KTM, Stefan Peirer, juga tidak bercadang untuk ‘mencuri’ Oliveira dari Tech3.
“Saya mahu Miguel (Oliveira) kekal disini tetapi banyak perkara boleh berubah menuju November.
“Kalau boleh saya mahu Miguel dan Brad bergandingan musim depan tetapi kita tunggu dan lihat apa yang akan berlaku selepas perbincangan,” tambahnya.
Terdahulu, Oliveira akui dia tertarik untuk berhijrah ke KTM seandainya peluang itu hadir.
KTM CEO Stefan Pierer said, “Johann Zarco is a disappointment.”
It follows Zarco’s outrage by calling the RC16’s frame and delivery “sh*t” in Spain.
But Pierer conceded that the bike needs more work.
The KTM MotoGP saga continues with KTM CEO Stefan Pierer saying, “Johann Zarco is a disappointment.”
Pierer uttered the statement following Zarco’s struggle to achieve better results. The two-time Moto2 champion’s best was 13th in Austin, Texas. He placed 15thin the season opener in Qatar and Argentina, and 14th in the Spanish round last week.
Zarco has said that he couldn’t adapt to the KTM RC16, a bike which he said, “only goes well down the straight and only wants to go straight.” He had also been caught on camera calling the frame and power delivery as “sh*t” in Jerez, Spain. This, coming from one of the nicest MotoGP riders was certainly something.
But his statements didn’t go well with KTM’s management.
KTM CEO Stefan Pierer told Speedweek, “Johann is a big disappointment and I’m very sorry about that. We hired him so that he and Pol (Espargarò) could push one another but the opposite happened. Espargarò is on his own.”
The other KTM rider pushing Espargarò was new signing Miguel Oliveira in the Red Bull Tech 3 KTM Racing team, instead. Apart from struggling in Jerez to finish 18th ahead of his teammate Hafizh Syahrin, Oliveira had come home in 17th, 11th and 14th, respectively. KTM was so impressed that they’ve extended Oliveira’s contract through 2020.
Photo credit Autosport
In addition to struggling with a completely new bike, Zarco had to contend with his manager and mentor (and friend) Laurent Falon switching camps to Honda. Falon had kept Honda’s offer a secret from Zarco and team through 2018.
“When an athlete at this level doesn’t have everything under control, then he has a problem. They told me that he was already very rude in the garage in Texas and the situation worsened in Jerez. But I want to say that we will do all we can to improve this year. We’ve already got the new materials, following his indications, and he’ll be joined by Jean-Michel Bayle,” added Pierer.
But Pierer was quick to add that KTM is not seeking to end Zarco’s contract. The French rider was signed also through 2020.
“We still have 15 races to run this year. Going from Yamaha to the KTM requires adaptation and that takes time. There are two different kinds of bikes in MotoGP: Yamaha and Suzuki with the inline 4-cylinders and Honda, Ducati, KTM and Aprilia with the V4. With the latter, you have to ride a certain way. You need to be bold and throw the bike down into the corners, you can’t go easy. Consider how, post Stoner, it took Ducati from 2010 to 2016 to find someone else who could win with their bike.”
On the other hand, Pierer didn’t deny that the RC16 needs more development. He revealed that the bike needs to lose another 4 to 5 kilograms and that the electronics are still an issue.
But what Pierer didn’t mention was the KTM RC16’s chassis architecture, which uses a steel-lattice frame and WP suspension. All MotoGP bikes use Öhlins suspension and aluminium frames. Ducati had suffered with the carbon monocoque for many years (including with Valentino Rossi) before swallowing their pride and reverting to an aluminium frame. It may not make a difference to you and I who ride on the streets and in the occasional track days, but it does for riders who push their bikes to the limits.
Why not change riding styles then? Both Zarco and Syahrin are suffering with turning into corners. Syahrin, Espargarò and Oliveira have all stated that one needs to be “aggressive” with the bike, echoing Zarco’s call.
Zarco has stated before that changing his smooth riding style will result in the team having with too much inconsistent data, especially while developing a new riding style. Setting up a bike is based on how the bike reacts to the rider’s inputs, after all. The best rider to illustrate this was Jorge Lorenzo who also rides with the “traditional” smooth style. He had suffered to no end during his first year with Ducati before the team solved his woes for his second year.
Changing a riding style, especially one that had brought past successes is not easy. The last thing a rider needs to concern himself about is his riding style in the heat of competition. It is the team’s job to provide the rider a bike that he doesn’t have to worry about, to allow him to concentrate on his race strategies i.e. lap times vs. tyre degradation, him vs. his opponents, etc.
The KTM factory had better come up with some solutions fast because all the new riders are at their mercy, rather than the other around.
Miguel Oliveira will continue to ride for KTM in the 2020 MotoGP season.
He has so far impressed everyone this season.
He is currently in front of a number of more experienced men in the standings.
KTM secures Miguel Oliveira through the 2020 MotoGP season.
The Portuguese rookies has so far impressed everyone in the 2019 season, including veteran riders on the KTM RC16 MotoGP bike. He will continue to ride for the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team next year.
He was riding further up the field in the season opener at Qatar but dropped down to 17that the finish after destroying his tyres. But he learned quickly and fought hard for 9thwith Aleix Espargaro on the Aprilia and Pol Espargaro on the factory KTM, before settling for 11th. In Austin, Oliveira finished 14thbehind Johann Zarco on the factory KTM.
Oliveira came oh-so-close to winning the 2018 Moto2 championship, by winning 3 races and standing on the podium a total of 12 times. He would eventually end the season with just 9 points behind Francesco Bagnaia.
His results had him promoted to MotoGP right away, albeit to the Tech3 satellite team. But it didn’t matter, since both Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull KTM Tech 3 Racing teams share the same factory-spec KTM RC16.
Oliveira is now 16thin the standings, ahead of Jorge Lorenzo, Andrea Ianone, Johann Zarco, Tito Rabat and teammate Hafizh Syahrin.
KTM has launched all their MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 teams for 2019.
There will be two teams in MotoGP, but both are using the same bikes.
They are Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull KTM Tech 3 Racing.
KTM launched their MotoGP teams tonight. They are known as the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull KTM Tech 3 Racing teams, respectively.
The “all-in” event also included KTM teams, bikes and riders from Moto2 and Moto3 classes. Additionally, KTM is represented by two teams on factory machinery.
In one corner is the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team, with Pol Espargaro and Johann Zarco as riders. This team’s KTM RC16 uses the traditional Red Bull KTM livery.
In the other corner is the Red Bull KTM Tech 3 Racing team, with our boy Hafizh Syahrin and Miguel Oliveira as riders. Their KTM RC16 are finished in a new orange, blue and silver livery. Hafizh promised during the special press conference and meet the fans session during the Sepang Winter Test, that the new livery will be replicated on a special edition KTM RC390 in Malaysia.
Both teams will contest on the factory KTM RC16, as the manufacturer is eager to collect twice the data in half the time in developing the bike. Although it still needs much development as Zarco said, Europe’s largest motorcycle maker could not shake their excitement.
After all, KTM’s morale and determination took a huge boost when Pol Espargaro put the bike on the podium for the first time last season in Valencia. Meanwhile, the retention of veteran KTM test rider Mika Kallio and signing of Dani Pedrosa as the new test rider will keep the program rolling at a high pace. Unfortunately, Pedrosa broke his collarbone and is out for three more months. However, KTM are allowed concessions for testing and development under MotoGP rules. Making full use of this leeway, KTM brought out several engines with different specs at Sepang.
The new bikes will hit the track from 20th February. Until then, let’s just enjoy the photos of the RC16 from both camps. All photos are from KTM and published in MotoGP.com.
Pusingan Moto2 2018 di Australia menyaksikan Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) berjaya merangkul kemenangannya yang ketiga pada musim ini.
Joan Mir (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) dan Xavi Vierge (Dynavolt Intact GP) melintasi garisan penamat di tempat yang ke-dua dan ke-tiga.
Persaingan untuk merebut takhta kejohanan Moto2 akan diteruskan di Sepang di antara Francesco Bagnaia (SKY Racing Team VR46) dan teman sepasukan Binder, Miguel Oliveira.
The 2018 Moto2 round in Australia saw Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) securing his third victory of the season.
Joan Mir (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) and Xavi Vierge (Dynavolt Intact GP) crossed the chequered flag in second and third respectively.
The battle for the Moto2 crown will continue to Sepang between Francesco Bagnaia (SKY Racing Team VR46) and Binder’s teammate, Miguel Oliveira.
After an amazing Moto3 race at the Michelin Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island, it was the Moto2 boys’ turn to shake things up where the battle for the 2018 championship could’ve been decided today between Francesco Bagnaia (SKY Racing Team VR46) and Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo). (more…)
Miguel Oliveira will graduate to MotoGP in 2019 after signing a new deal with the Tech 3 squad.
The 23-year-old Portuguese racer will be the first rider that will go through the entire Red Bull KTM system.
From Red Bull Rookies Cup all the way up to MotoGP, Oliveira has been a rising star which has given KTM a good number of wins in his career.
Current Moto2 championship contender Miguel Oliveira will be heading up to the premier MotoGP class in 2019. This was confirmed in Jerez last weekend when he signed a deal with the Tech 3 squad. Oliveira will also be the first rider to go through the entire Red Bull KTM system all the way up to MotoGP. (more…)
Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) telah membolot kemenangan perlumbaan ketiga buat KTM bagi musim 2017 ini dengan kemenangan terkini mereka di Valencia.
Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) sekadar berpuas hati di tempat ke-dua selepas bergelut dengan cengkaman tayar pada penghujung perlumbaan.
Teman sepasukan Oliveira, Brad Binder, beraksi dengan cemerlang sekali apabila dia menamatkan perlumbaannya di tempat ke-tiga setelah bergelut dengan masalah penukaran gear dalam beberapa pusingan pertama perlumbaan berkenaan.
Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) gave KTM their third ever race victory for 2017 with their latest win in Valencia.
Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) settled for second after struggling for tyre grip towards the end of the race.
Oliveira’s team mate, Brad Binder, recovered brilliantly by finishing in third after struggling with gear shifts in the first few opening laps.
The Red Bull KTM Ajo squad closed off their 2017 Moto2 efforts with a bang thanks to Miguel Oliveira who finished the last race of the season with a super race win. Starting from fourth position, the 22 year old rider from Portugal has awarded KTM with three race victories in their first ever year in the Moto2 race series. (more…)
KTM Malaysia got off to a great start at the 2017 Malaysian MotoGP.
Moto2 and Moto3 riders visited for a meet-and-greet, and autograph session for the fans.
MotoGP riders will visit today for meet-and-greet plus autograph session.
27th October 2017, Sepang Circuit – As promised, KTM Malaysia rocked the show at the 2017 Malaysian MotoGP.
Although Day One (Friday) got off to a slower start due to incessant rain throughout most parts of the day, KTM’s pavilion was packed with racing fans who had queued patiently to meet Moto2 riders Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder, and Moto3 riders Bo Bendsneyder and Niccolo Antonelli.
Their patience was rewarded by first KTM Malaysia who carried out fun quiz sessions throughout the day. Participants walked away with some great KTM memorabilia.
Visitor also had the opportunity to view, touch and even smell the latest KTM motorcycles, including the GP16 MotoGP racebike replica, RC Cup racer, the just-launched 250 Duke and 390 Duke, 1290 Super Duke R, 1290 Super Adventure S, the still-rare and new 1290 Super Adventure R; and of course, off-road bikes for which KTM are synonymous with such as the new ISDE Six Day Enduro models, SX-F motocross models, EX/C-F four-stroke enduro models and more.
The new ISDE Six Day models are noteworthy as the bikes have different graphics now, as the International Six Day Enduro (ISDE) event has moved to France. These bikes are collector’s items.
Another motorcycle to look out for is the 1050 Adventure Travel Pack. The 1050 Adventure has always been a fun, comfortable and reliable bike for adventure- and sport-touring, but it’s now even better with the Travel Pack.
For a limited time only, customers who opt for the Travel Pack together with the purchase of a new 1050 Adventure will receive ten (yes, 10!) PowerPart accessories such as semi-floating panniers, crash-protection bars for the engine, and others for just an extra RM 3,000. Be sure to check back in with us for the updates soon.
Day Two of the 2017 Malaysian MotoGP (Saturday, 28th October) will see MotoGP riders, Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith visiting the KTM pavilion for another meet-and-greet plus autograph session. So remember to bring your KTM gear and be there by 5pm.
