Why Jack Miller Is The Most Important Puzzle Piece For KTM According To Team Manager Francesco Guidotti
Categories: MotoGP
The KTM factory team has big plans for the 2023 MotoGP season. Nothing less than the first title win is the goal. Ex-Ducati rider Jack Miller is an important puzzle piece.
After last year’s runner-up in the team championship, the KTM factory team is reaching for the stars.
They are hoping for a lot from the signing of various ex-Formula 1 engineers for their own aerodynamics department.
After last year’s runner-up in the team championship, the KTM factory team is reaching for the stars.
They are hoping for a lot from the signing of various ex-Formula 1 engineers for their own aerodynamics department.
KTM team manager Francesco Guidotti is eager to see what their own bike can do in 2023. “We had to explore different solutions with aerodynamics and ride height devices.”
“Of course, we cannot expect that all the changes we have made will be perfect…but we need that slightly bigger step to be in the chase every race.”
Despite the slight uncertainty until the Sepang test in February, nothing less than the world title is the goal.
“We are a factory team and the only goal we can have, the only target, is the title. It is easy to say and not easy to get! But this is the main goal.”
In order to be able to achieve this goal, they signed MotoGP fan favorite Jack Miller for the new season.
The Australian is particularly valuable to KTM as he is the first rider since Pol Espargaro to gain experience on other bikes.
With two rookies in the satellite team and the factory team rider pairing of Binder-Oliveira, development was difficult last year, none of the four riders had ever ridden a MotoGP bike other than the KTM RC-16.
“From a technical point of view it was important for us to have a rider with some different experience because one of our ‘limits’ last year was that all four riders only had experience with our bike and developing was a bit tricky,” Guidotti explains.
“It is a new project and we had some open questions that we could only close with different riders with different experiences in MotoGP.”
Jack Miller seemed to be the perfect solution for the Italian. The Australian had already been convincing in 2018.
“An episode, for sure, is Argentina 2018 when he took pole position on a patchy track and started on the grid quite far ahead of everyone else! That showed how he is.”
Guidotti is optimistic for the new season, especially thanks to the new rider pairing at KTM.
“The team will be very strong because there are two special personalities. Jack and Brad is a special combo.”
