After the podium in Mugello, KTM confirmed in Barcelona that it is in good shape. Don’t be fooled by the 14th place of Miguel Oliveira, who only used the hard rear tire in FP2 without fitting the soft one in the final minutes. But Brad Binder showed his potential on the Flying Lap, 4th place in the ranking at the end of Friday.
“It wasn’t a bad day,” said the South African with a smile. “In the morning I always worked with the same tire, while in the afternoon we made small changes to the motorcycle and I felt comfortable on the flying lap. Tomorrow I have to understand what is needed for the race. “
Brad is sure they will have to make progress tomorrow to stay at the top.
“I think everyone in FP3 will use two tires and improve their times a lot. It will also depend heavily on the weather, “he stated.”We also have to choose the tire for the race because the differences between all three options are very small. This morning I did twenty laps on the medium and it was practically destroyed in the end. Sunday will be difficult. The tarmac is very slippery and you need to choose carefully to balance performance and durability. “
A task that every rider has to do, but most importantly, the RC16 seems to be competitive again thanks to the new frame. Even if not all that glitters is gold.
“It certainly helps, but every bike has its strengths and weaknesses,” explains Binder. “On this route I feel the negative aspects of the new frame a little more. There is ground contact with the rear tire when braking and entering bends. We have work to do to solve the problem. “