Already pღlaying catch-up to the likes of Ducati, Aprilia and Yamaha after February’s opening test at Sepang, KTM instead appeared to slip further behind at Portimao.

That meꦰans they have little choice but to try n♈ew parts - rather than the normal set-up work - during this weekend’s season-opener at the same Portuguese track.

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Espargaro led the KTM/GASGAS challeng♛e with 13th in Malaysia and hoped the main components of this year’s machine were locked in place. However, the four 🐼RC16s were lodged near the bottom of the timesheets in Portimao.

While an ‘insane’ flying lap from 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Brad Binder put the South African ninth overall, 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Jack Miller, Espargaro and rookie team-mate 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Augusto Fernandez were 17th, 18th and 21st respꦍectively. The quartet also looked outside th🐽e top 15 for race pace.

"As you saw in the [Portimao] test, we did not enjoy it as much as we did in Malaysia," Espargaro said. "We were much stronger there but the factory has been working these past days꧂ at home t🐠o figure out what happened and why here, with this tyre, it is not working as it should.

"It looks like they found some differen𓃲t reasons and some different stuff to 🐠try during the race weekend.

"Obviously it is not the best plan to go th🥀rough the weekend testing parts🅷 but we are thankful for that. The test was bad, but the factory was working hard to have some alternatives to play with the bike and that’s nice."

Despite their current w🎶oes, which Binder describes as a chronic lack of rear grip, Espargaro insists he still feels ‘😼better with the GASGAS than the Honda’.

"In Honda I had problems that did not allow me to ride as I would like. I had some spots in the year where I could ride good, bཧut overall I feel better with the bike I have now. I feel better with the GASGAS than the Honda.

"I don’t know if I will be fast in the same places I was with the Honda and hopefully faster in others. Obviously chassis-wise I feel muchꦅ more comfortable with this one and it fits much more to my riding style and my riding characteristics."

Espargaro, also reunited with crew chief Paul Trevathan at Tech3 this year, took just two podiums in two seasons with Honda, compared to five in his final seasꦿon at Red Bull KTM.

But for now his targets are modest: "Difficult [to predict] because in Malaysia we were not so ba🗹d, but here we were… I hope wꦿe can be in the top ten consistently."