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 Austrian manufacturer has enjoyed a breakthrough MotoGP se🅷ason where they often be⛦en the closest challengers to 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 biꦇkes on the grid.

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

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

“With great regret, having to se🅷nd 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 experienc♓e we had entered a difficult to manage loop. 

“We needed someone with a different experience to help us und🤪erstand the problems. 

“The luck was that Jack Miller conf🎶irmed what we already thought.&n🏅bsp;

“We had already taken a deve🌺lopment path that proved to be right.🙈 

“And instead of small steps, we have begun to take important steps for💯ward.”

Miller, who came from the factory Ducati team, has added invalu♏able experience to KTM.

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The overall feeling is that the🅘y are a manufacturer heading in a positive direction.

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

“I'm glad they chose me, b🦄ut this change comes from a decision made at the top.

“As in any discipline, if you want to improve you have to hire peo🎐ple who ar൲e experts in that field. 

“But the credit for the progre🐷ss is not only mine, there was a company that understood that it wa꧙s 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 level, structur🧜e everything better, focusing on the details.”

Fabiano Sterlacchini and Alberto Giribuola arrived on the engineering side, while Miller brought his crew chi𓂃ef Christian Pupulin.

“It is clear that to grow you have to look at wh🍎o is the reference,” Guidotti said. 

“I don't think it was a problem for Ducati, because for the level reached today I think the ꦏorganisation 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 wher𝄹e even by changing people the gear turns well. 

“Here in KTM, the process had t♓o be speeded up, it's logical that they went fishing in the paddock.𒐪”

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