Time gaps between the six MotoGP brands were minimal at the test – details are becoming increasingly important if you want to be successful
There were 19 riders within a second of each other on the final day of MotoGP winter testing in Indonesia. The already very high level of the riders and teams has become a little bit higher. Overall, the field has moved a bit closer together again. There are theoretically more potential candidates for victory than ever before.
“This championship is all about details,” says KTM rider Miguel Oliveira. “Everything is so close.” Because if only two or three tenths of a second are missing, then it could already be difficult to be in the top 10.
Nevertheless, the Portuguese does not think that one can then speak of a “bad” bike: “Every bike in the field is great at the moment. It’s about finding out what each rider needs. The rider has to adapt to the bike. “
“Add to that all the work of the team. You have to take care of details.” It’s a matter of optimising the technical package and adapting it to the track in question, in order to be able to take a place in Q2 as early as the free practice sessions.
KTM was behind at the winter tests in Malaysia. Afterwards they did better in Indonesia. However, Oliveira and Brad Binder were not among the absolute front-runners and top favourites after the Sepang test.
But the times are long gone when practically only the factory teams of Honda and Yamaha could win races and other teams were practically without a chance from the start. That’s why it’s important to do your homework if you want to be successful.
“I can’t say,” Oliveira says, “that I could change to another bike and my career would change completely with results. We have to keep working and find what we can with our bike. “