Top 10 result for KTM, but technical issues for Smith

Posted on Aug 06, 2017 by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

In their tenth MotoGP race the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team reached their second-half-of-the-season target with a fantastic ninth place in one of the trickiest Grand Prix seen in many a years.

KTM Motorsport Director Pit Beirer had a target for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MotoGP team to get a top ten finish in the second half of the 2017 season, and that was achieved today at Brno with Pol Espargaro gaining a brilliant ninth position. All riders had to change motorcycles as the race had started under wet conditions but the strength of the summer sun soon made a dry line appear. Once on the a bike with dry settings and slick tyres, he bravely pushed on and but for a run off-track lost him around six seconds, he may well have been even higher at the flag, but before the team go into their home race on the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg next weekend today has been a great result. Espargaro also set his fastest lap time just 0.9 secs off the fastest lap of the race. All these results have lifted the team enormously as on going technical progress is made and the KTM RC16 motorcycle edge further up the results sheets. Team mate Bradley Smith rode equally as bravely once on the 'dry bike' but didn't quite have any luck as he had a technical problem with the bike with just one lap remaining that prevented him seeing the chequered flag.

Bradley Smith (Factory Rider MotoGP):
"These conditions make it very difficult and stressful for the whole team as it doesn't make it easy with so many different scenarios and so many ways to react. We had a long bike change after lap two but so soon after the start it doesn't give the crew a lot of time (to change the bike settings) but then later on the race wasn't going in its best direction only for the bike to have a problem so I decided it was better to save the bike and stop. What I do want to do is to congratulate the whole team on their first top ten; it's a huge amount of work from everybody. First of all, Pol is riding so he takes the majority of the credit but it's a huge team effort from not only here at the track but from the test team and everybody back at KTM Motorsport in Austria. So, a frustrating way to end the weekend as there have been many positives in the rain and also in the dry yesterday afternoon but we weren't quite able to show it today. Having said that, I'm looking forward to a full day of testing tomorrow here at Brno to work on something ready for the team's home Grand Prix in Austria next weekend."

Pit Beirer (KTM Motorsport Director):
"I'm extremely happy with this special moment because this was a target for us to get into the top ten in the first season and even if it was a big target, it's now a reality. We've felt over the last races that we made steps, and then from the last test we made another step...but you only have it proven in a race, today being the point where you could see we made that step on a very difficult track for us. It's a two minute track here in Brno, but we knew we were competitive over the whole weekend and we knew we could race some of the top guys, so this is not a lucky punch as we fought hard for it. We made many passes from the start of the race so it's been a big payback for the team, the engineers and all the staff back at base in Austria. I think this has proven we're in the right direction but I can promise everyone we cannot and will not stop at his level."

Mike Leitner (Team Manager MotoGP):
"It was our target at the beginning of the year to at one time touch the top ten so to achieve that at the first race after the summer break is such a boost for the team, for the riders and for the belief in the project so it's unbelievable. I mean I think everybody who works on the MotoGP project is really super happy and it's really nice to see it working out. Things were very happy today on Pol's side of the garage while we feel for Bradley's side as it didn't work out in the way we expected, but races like today's usually see one rider in a good position as many things can happen. We now look forward to the home race for the team next weekend at Spielberg where there will be so many KTM staff with their families from the motorsport and production side of this amazing company. It is with their work and support that can enable us to push for results such as this today."

There is no rest as all three Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Teams look forward to their home race in Austria next weekend. Spielberg awaits!

Next Race: August 13, 2017 – Red Bull Ring, Spielberg (AUT)