Pit Beirer has outlined the limitations of KTM’s current RC16, with the 2027 regulations finally allowing the Austrian manufacturer to develop an all-new MotoGP bike as it targets the front of the grid.
KTM has competed in MotoGP since 2017, winning eight grands prix in that time. Miguel Oliveira accounts for five of those victories, with Brad Binder winning twice and Pedro Acosta once. The Austrian manufacturer has also claimed three sprint victories, two with Binder and one with Acosta.
However, it has yet to make the final step to the front of the grid. Honda and Yamaha were once its main benchmarks, but the Austrian manufacturer is now chasing the two Italian brands, Ducati and Aprilia.
KTM motorsport director Beirer has identified the RC16’s main weakness.
"It's always the point when we when we turn and release the brake," he explained. "I see the riders talking to me, 'the others look to the direction and the bike is going [in that direction] and we struggle for one moment still. And that's exactly the moment where we need to improve.
"Then the rest is just a follow up, because if you turn just a little better, you pick up more early, you put the tyre in the right place, you have more drive.
"We miss drive, of course but we are on the side and we are spinning. Then, it's not missing power. You are in the wrong position to accelerate."
Acosta has been able to compensate for this weakness at corner entry through his riding style. The Spaniard is the only KTM rider in the top 10 of the championship standings, but he will switch to Ducati next year.
"I would lie if I say I wouldn't like Pedro to stay," he said. "But maybe it has to be like this. We got so much pressure and the bike needs to be better. For sure, Pedro is better than the bike."
Pit Beirer, KTM Motorsports Director
Photo by: Qian Jun / MB Media / Getty Images
2027 represents a fresh start for KTM
The 2027 season represents a fresh start in several respects. The new technical regulations will allow KTM to develop an entirely new motorcycle, incorporating the lessons it has learned since joining MotoGP in 2017.
"I feel having this new bike done, having a complete new line-up of riders, is a restart and a huge chance for us," Beirer said.
"We are not new [to MotoGP]. We have been here for so many years, but we didn't have the chance to make really a complete new bike. You always add on something and you change this, then you change that. But then the last years, we want to put the sprocket in a different position and the crank in a different position.
"But in the last two years, you don't build a new engine, but you know there is a weak point in the bike which you just cannot fix with the set-up.
"So I feel this white piece of paper give us now the chance to put 10 years of MotoGP experience into a new bike.
"New bike, new riders, and definitely riders who really want to come to our place I think that will give a new motivation to work and work positive towards the future.
"I think the bashing on us, on the bike and on the team doesn't make the bike better. We know our weak points, but we also have very strong points, and we want to take that part and build the rest. We want to close that gap to the leaders in the championship."
In the factory team, Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio will take over from the outgoing Acosta and Binder, while Luca Marini and Senna Agius will race for satellite outfit Tech3, replacing Enea Bastianini and Maverick Vinales.
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