2024 KTM RC16 Bike: Main Weakness is Acceleration..!

RiderTua.com – The latest KTM RC16 bike seems to be able to match or even be faster on a straight track than the Ducati… However, when acceleration becomes their problem, to reach the finish line they will remain behind the Ducati bikes… Because on the track it’s not just Just keep going straight, when the bike exits the corner you need strong acceleration to launch into the next sector. If you lose acceleration when exiting the corner (let alone the Stop & Go maneuver) and times 22 laps they could be far behind.

Brad Binder managed to finish 2nd in both the sprint and main race of the Qatar GP and was the only non-Ducati rider in the top 7. Even though his KTM is losing in one particular area, the South African rider is expected to ‘courage’ against Ducati for the 2024 MotoGP world championship. This shows that his KTM has a big advantage over Ducati, but also still has major weaknesses.

When Michael Laverty was asked, could KTM push Binder into a title challenge? He replied: “Yes, 100 percent. For KTM to pass Ducati on the straight here? That’s an advantage. It looks like they’re doing better than last year. They’re progressing well. We can’t see where they lost time but Brad will knows what he’s missing. Is it a grip problem or cornering? I’d bet it’s a problem with the acceleration.”

Michael Laverty : I’m willing to bet that the KTM’s main weakness is acceleration

Laverty added that the first part of the corner, that’s where Ducati can do really well. “With a very long bike that can be lowered very well with its lowering device, and a torque management system that can be controlled well. It doesn’t make sense but it suits the usable aero of the Ducati. In that respect KTM has made a breakthrough during the tests pre-season, but there are still a few things to improve.”

Brad Binder finished 2nd in the sprint and main race in the first series of the 2024 season. The 29 year old rider managed to beat Jorge Martin (Pramac) in their battle to finish behind Francesco Bagnaia in the main race.

Brad explained, “Two 2nd place finishes to start the season, it’s amazing. I’m much happier with second place today than yesterday’s second place (sprint). Yesterday I felt like we missed something, but today was much better. I knew today would be a very difficult race because sometimes we work very hard on the rear tyre.”

“I had to finish the race to the end. It was difficult to stay calm because I saw Pecco was in front. It felt like I was motivated and we just wanted to keep going. But I knew that if I tried to push, maybe I would be able to catch him but I would lose some seconds in the last few laps,” added teammate Jack Miller.

“I have to be smart. It was amazing against Jorge and I had fun. Let’s see if we can improve a little because it would be amazing if we could give these riders a fight next time,” concluded Brad Binder with a smile .

Let’s just wait and see if this weakness can be overcome in the next series?