How MotoGP’s “beast” tamers bounced back at Catalunya

Few people predicted KTM to win three races in the 2020 MotoGP season. That expectation was reversed coming into 2021, however, with the Austrian manufacturer proving between its factory and Tech3 satellite squad that it was capable of great things.

And with KTM the only manufacturer alongside Aprilia allowed to develop a new engine for 2021, much of the grid feared it would come to the new season armed with a ‘super engine’. Married to what proved to be a solid chassis and a factory squad helmed by what Tech3 boss Herve Poncharal told Autosport last season was the “dream team” in Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira, the grid was right to be worried.

But KTM insisted over the winter – out of respect – it wouldn’t make huge engine gains. This sounded like a convenient bit of PR, but when it rocked up to the Qatar tests and made little impact on the timesheets or the top speed charts, KTM’s comments appeared to be true.

The nature of the Qatar track seemed to hinder the RC16 a bit, which tends to excel when the rider needs to stop hard and turn quickly. But KTM’s troubles continued into Portugal. Having finished 13th and 15th in the Qatar double-header, Oliveira was 16th after a fall on home turf. Binder – 14th and eighth in Qatar – recovered from 15th on the grid to score fifth, showing off his chops as a proper Sunday rider.

Binder felt he could do something decent from 11th at Jerez having felt excellent in warm-up. But he crashed in the race, while Oliveira was 11th. All of this happening on the backdrop of the likes of Yamaha, Ducati and even Aprilia having seemingly made big gains with their 2021 bikes. Speaking to Autosport ahead of the Italian GP, Binder didn’t feel the field had made massive strides relative to KTM but also conceded the RC16 wasn’t hugely removed from the triple race-winning 2020 package.

“To be honest, the feeling is very, very similar [to 2020],” Binder said. “It’s not necessarily better or worse. Our total package is quite the same as last year I would say. It’s just certain things have made it a little bit more difficult for us and we’re going to have to just wait and see what we can do because I feel like the package is there, there’s nothing wrong with it.

“I don’t think others have improved a huge amount, and I don’t think we have improved a huge amount either. Things are quite similar to last year for all, I think. I think it’s more coming down to maybe just situations on tracks, different tracks working better, working worse for us.”

Miguel Oliveira, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

One of the “certain things” that has deeply impacted KTM has been Michelin’s front tyre allocation for 2021. In the early rounds it was far too soft for the RC16. This was a major issue in Qatar, where night time temperatures forced the field to run the softest front option. In the first Qatar race that tyre fell to bits for KTM, which prompted its riders to use the asymmetric medium for the Doha GP – though the way the grip transferred during cornering made it a very sketchy option. The situation didn’t improve for Portugal, with the front tyre Oliveira dominated November’s season-finale in 2020 on removed completely from the allocation – much to his dismay.

The turnaround came at the post-race Jerez test, where KTM introduced a new chassis. As well as struggling with the front end, the KTM wasn’t exiting corners strongly enough. The new frame allowed the KTM riders to pick up the bike a bit earlier and line up corner exit better, while the tweaks to the chassis' weight distribution helped with the front end. The wet Le Mans weather kept the frame in its box until Mugello, where Oliveira – who couldn’t buy a top 10 in the opening five rounds – scored second, with Binder fifth.

A week later, Oliveira took to the top step of the Barcelona podium to celebrate the third win of his MotoGP career. A new fuel from ETS also added a bit more punch to the RC16’s engine, Binder matching Johann Zarco’s all-time speed record set in Qatar of 362.4km/h at Mugello. The fact Oliveira’s podium run has come at fast and flowing tracks not typically KTM’s strongest shows just how big a development this new chassis has been – though it was one the factory wasn’t initially hugely confident in.

“We tested this chassis for the first time after Jerez on the Monday test, and then we see already positives but not that it was miles better,” KTM boss Mike Leitner said. “So, we went home thinking ‘bwoah’, and then it was a very bad weather forecast for Le Mans, we decided to stay conservative. And then in Mugello we said, ‘OK, let’s check it in FP1 and FP2’, and then we see it helps a lot on this kind of track layout.”

"At the moment we have a stable bike, we have a good package for different tracks and this was something we lacked in the past. We also have a bike that’s not such of a beast anymore, like it was in 2019" Miguel Oliveira

Sunday’s Catalan GP was an intriguing contest. Tyre wear was high, so intelligence just as much as speed was needed for success. Practice form suggested Fabio Quartararo would once again be the one to beat on his factory Yamaha, but a handful of riders highlighted Oliveira as a threat on Saturday evening.

The medium front tyre on offer was the same one as seen in Qatar, so it’s no surprise both Oliveira and Binder went with the hard front. Quartararo was jumped off the line from pole by Ducati’s Jack Miller and Oliveira, with the Frenchman being shuffled a few spots further back in the opening exchanges – stopping him from clicking into the rhythm out in front that many thought would devastate.

Miguel Oliveira, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Photo by: MotoGP

Oliveira took the lead for the first time on lap two, opening a gap of over a second at one stage as he settled into a consistent run of mid-1m40s. Quartararo – on the medium front, with both on the hard rear – bridged the gap once back into second and moved ahead on lap 12.

But he couldn’t break away, Oliveira returning to the lead again on lap 14. As Quartararo hit issues with his front tyres and his race suit, he would drop out of contention. Oliveira’s pace dropped into the low 1m41s on the final three laps, allowing the chasing Zarco to pressure him late on – but the KTM man didn’t crack. Binder was eighth in the end having struggled for traction on his hard rear tyre.

KTM looks back in the game now, but Oliveira was reticent to get too ahead of himself, noting “you can never be too comfortable to have a clear answer to that kind of question” when asked if KTM could be consistent victory challengers from now on. And when Autosport asked if he could at least be confident in KTM’s rapid response to any more issues that may arise in 2021, he added: “I mean, it’s a question I could never be able to answer. I mean everyone is doing the maximum effort to improve every little issue that we have.

“They are able to be on top of everything that we need. So, what else can you do? You put your maximum effort into the things and you expect that you have the tools to react whenever you need it. At the moment we have a stable bike, we have a good package for different tracks and this was something we lacked in the past. We also have a bike that’s not such of a beast anymore, like it was in 2019. So, I think it makes for other riders more friendly to ride. So, altogether we have a strong group working – not only technically, but also the four riders. We give valuable feedback to the factory, and they can only do so much. We expect to continue on this form in the coming races.”

Oliveira also admits thoughts of a title tilt are still “quite early” to be had, given his 61-point deficit to Quartararo in the standings. His cautious outlook is justified. The coming races at the Sachsenring and Assen will essentially be new tests for KTM, having last raced there in 2019 on the “beast” bike Oliveira mentioned above.

But, as the last two races have shown, there is also reason for optimism as KTM finally looks like the threat it was feared to be in the winter.

Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing, Miguel Oliveira, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Jack Miller, Ducati Team

Photo by: MotoGP