KTM’s early season run of three consecutive podium finishes now seems like a distant memory. To think that Brad Binder was able to finish just 1.239s behind race winner Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) in Qatar just four months ago is almost hard to believe, considering where KTM is in the pecking order at present.
Take last fortnight’s German GP for comparison. The top RC16 of GasGas rider Pedro Acosta finished only seventh and more than 14s behind the leader, a week after Binder had taken the chequered flag 16s down in sixth. In fact, since Acosta finished second in the Americas GP in April, a KTM rider has only been able to finish inside the top five just once in a grand prix. Those statistics make for pretty grim reading.
Factory rider Jack Miller made a poignant revelation at the Sachsenring that could explain why KTM’s form has suddenly disappeared.
“We are on the same package in terms of base stuff, we have the same stuff as Misano last year,” he said.
“There's always going to be a roof and you need to develop and make things better to improve that and move the roof further.
“We are on a similar chassis that we have been on since Misano last year, the first addition of the carbon fibre frame, but we haven't made any adjustments or done anything to that.
“There are areas we can work on the bike to try to set the bar higher.”
KTM, of course, shook the MotoGP paddock in September last when test rider Dani Pedrosa debuted a chassis made entirely out of carbon fibre at Misano.
Both Miller and Binder switched to the same frame later that month, marking a major leap for the Austrian manufacturer in its pursuit of catching the all-conquering Ducatis.
But the fact that the KTM hasn’t been able to improve that chassis in the next 10 months goes to show just how far it has dropped behind in the development race since then. From bringing new innovations to not introducing any major updates, it’s quite a departure for the Pierer Mobility Group.
Of course, throwing new parts on the bike every weekend doesn’t always bring forward a step in performance. What KTM needs is a methodical plan, as Binder explained during the Sachsenring weekend.
“We haven't had an update for a long time, for sure,” he said. “More than anything [what] we need is a clear understanding of which direction to go in.
“We have been playing a lot with the balances this weekend [at Sachsenring] and finally we did things we had never done before which don't really make sense but it makes the bike a bit better.
“Clearly we need to understand things a little bit better and then we can bring the parts to help us.”
To help find a clear direction, KTM must also fully understand where exactly the RC16 is lagging behind its rivals. While the engine powering the bike has proved to be reliable and quick, there are a number of other areas that require additional focus.
“We need a little bit more grip, a little bit more turning,” said Miller. “[With top] speed we are alright, the engine is strong and the aero package is pretty strong. We can understand where we are on the front end of the bike.
“It's just a matter of what we need to do to get a little bit more turning, a bit more grip both on the front and the rear to go faster and brake later, get on the gas earlier and hopefully carry more corner speed.”
After the German GP, Acosta bought a ‘one-way ticket’ to Austria to meet the top brass at KTM, understand how its MotoGP programme is run on the inside and help the marque in fixing the weaknesses of the RC16.
He is being accompanied on the trip by technical chief Paul Trevathan and head of suspensions Miguel Olivenza.
Acosta had originally planned to speak to KTM’s head of technology Fabiano Sterlacchini on his visit to Austria, but Gigi Dall'Igna’s former right-hand man split with the team after the Sachsenring weekend.
Nevertheless, the Spaniard will be keeping himself busy with a series of meetings with other members of the factory team. The visit is not only important for KTM but Acosta himself, as it could help him find out if he is in the right place to fight for a MotoGP title in the near future.
"The first thing I'm going to do when I arrive is meet the people and see what happens on the first day, how everything works and what each one does,” he explained.
“When I go to sleep and I understand all the roles and who is in charge in one place and who is in charge in the other, and who is the head of the chassis and the one on the other side, why do things get done [in a particular way]. Because now it is very easy to criticise, ask or demand things that I, for the moment, do not know how they are going.
“I prefer to first find out how everything is going and why things are not done or why they are, or who gives power to one or takes it away from the other, to know which path has to be taken.”
KTM is incredibly lucky to have a top rider like Acosta in its wings and has rightly offered him an early contract for the factory squad for 2025. The addition of race winners Enea Bastianini and Maverick Vinales will also be a major boost for the marque, especially as they replace two weak links in the line-up - Miller and Augusto Fernandez.
But with Ducati being in a “league of its own” according to Binder, KTM now must work on bringing meaningful updates to ensure its bike can match its riding talent.
Additional reporting by German Garcia Casanova and Sebastian Fränzschky
