KTM’s Pol Espargaro says his motivation is “in the clouds” for this weekend’s MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix after the team’s first premier-class victory in the Czech GP.
Rookie Brad Binder guided the RC16 to his and KTM’s first MotoGP victory at Brno last weekend just four years after the Austrian brand came into the premier class.
KTM looked set for a 1-2 before Espargaro crashed out on lap 10 following a collision with Johann Zarco – which the Frenchman was hit with a long lap penalty for.
Espargaro says Binder’s win is only one factor in his high motivation for this weekend, stressing his own position in the Brno race prior to his crash was already spurring him on.
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“For sure the motivation is in the clouds now, after what happened in the last race,” Espargaro said.
“And seeing the win for the first time for KTM – not just to see him winning, Brad, but anyway to see where we were fighting.
“Already [I had] the high motivation to keep pushing for the factory.”
Earlier this week KTM motorsport boss Pit Beirer admitted Espargaro “deserved” to be the one to take the marque’s debut win for being the “backbone” of the project since 2017.
KTM tested at Brno with Dani Pedrosa last month, and has also enjoyed some mileage with Pedrosa and Espargaro at Red Bull Ring in the past few months.
Several riders commented after the Brno race that KTM came armed with data of Michelin’s tyres, which caused issues for many last weekend.
But Espargaro dismisses any suggestion that KTM had any insider help, and notes that the team was simply “better” in setting up its RC16 to match the track conditions.
“Regarding the tyres, I mean, the tyres are exactly the same ones for everyone,” he added.
“And we get the same compound, the same amount as the other manufacturers and it is what it is.
“So we use it better than the others, our electronics were better than the others and our bike was better than the others – exactly the same as in the past when they were faster than us.
“So, it’s a competition and we were faster than them during all the weekend.”