KTM admit their one “great regret”

The Miguel Oliveira situation last year is KTM’s one “great regret” - but their team boss insists it was “necessary” to drive the team forwards.
KTM, MotoGP, British MotoGP, 6 August
KTM, MotoGP, British MotoGP, 6 August

The Austri🏅an manufacturer has enjoyed a breakthrough MotoGP season where they often been the closest challengers to๊ the dominant Ducati.

And there is bold🌜 talk of expansion from KTM who continue to be linked with Marc Marquez, and who also plan to increase their presence with extra bikes on the grid.

Miguel Oliveira, Italian MotoGP, 28 May
Miguel Oliveira, Italian MotoGP, 28 May

The one stain on their rise might be Oliveira - who won five grands prix with their satellite and factory teams, but left last year after refusiꦿng to go 🥃back to Tech3 when he lost his factory seat.

“With great regret,🃏 having to send away a fast rider like Oliveira, not having found a compromise” team manager Francesco Guidotti told was his most radical change. 

“However, it was necessary to change, because with four riders with only KTM experience we had 𒅌entered🅘 a difficult to manage loop. 

“We nee🐻ded someone with a different🤪 experience to help us understand the problems. 

“The luck was that Jack Miller coꦕnfirmed what we already thought. 

“We had already taken a development path that proved to be rightꦿ. 

“And instead of small steps, we havꦰe begun to take important steps forward.”

Miller, who came from ꦛthe facto🧜ry Ducati team, has added invaluable experience to KTM.

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The overall feelin💃g is that they are a manufacturer heading in a positive direction.

“In Mattighofen in 2021 they understood that tಌhey had to change gears, so they implemented a program of change,” Guidotti explained. 

“I'm glad they chose m🌜e, but this change comes from a decision made a꧋t the top.

“As in any discipline, if you want to improve you ha🅺ve to hire people who are experts in that field. 

“But the credit for the progress is not only mine, there was a company that understood that it was time to change pace, to move from a management in which, starting from scratch,🃏 had to shoot at random. 

“And then, having reached a certain le🔯vel, structure everything better, focusing on the details.”

Fabiano Sterlacchini and Alberto Giribuol🎃a arrived on the engineering side, while Miller brought his crew chief Christian Pupulin.

“It is clear t💃hat to grow you have to look at who isꦬ the reference,” Guidotti said. 

“I don't think it was a problem for Ducati, because f🌃or the level reached today ཧI think the organisation of the single person matters more. 

“Which is what the Japanese method was a bit like, if we want to make a comparison, such a well-tested system where ev🌜en by changing people the gear♒ turns well. 

“Here in KTM, the process had to be speedꦓed up, it's logical that they went fish🍎ing in the paddock.”

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