MotoGP: KTM add Jerez to testing program

KTM have made Jerez the latest track in their testing program, completing a two-day outing last week at the Spanish circuit with test riders Mika Kallio and Randy de Puniet as they continue to build towards their 2017 MotoGP debut.

And, with hot weather complementing the test alongside their Moto3 team, head of the racing project Mike Leitner says that the outing came with unexpected positive results for them.

“The team and riders came directly from Brno and were also very motivated here. It has been a while since Randy sat on the motorcycle, but it was very important for us that he also noticed a clear improvement. That showed us that with Mika Kallio we have an extremely good test rider.

“In practical terms, because of the very hot conditions, we have saved ourselves a test in Malaysia, and this is positive for our development progress.”

And, with a further test planned next month in Italy (likely Misano) as the Austrian manufacturer prepares itself by testing at as many of the tracks on the MotoGP calendar as possible, Technical Director Sebastian Risse says their progress is coming fast.

“Our focus here was mainly on being able to confirm the development steps we made in Brno. However, the conditions, especially on day one allowed us to shed light on how our material would work under extreme conditions, and we had no big problems.

“We also had tires from Michelin for the first time, which are very similar to those used in the Grand Prix on this circuit. Because of this we were able to work on the setup in different ways, and we saw a significant improvement in laps times compared to those from the earlier tests in spring.”