Michael Scott | May 4, 2018
2018 MotoGP News Friday from Jerez —
Riders Hurt in Training
Australian Remy Gardner and Swiss Dominique Aegerter were both absent injured from Jerez, suffering injuries in training accidents to blight the start of their European campaigns.
Both were hurt riding motocross, considered a vital but always risky element of training.
2018 MotoGP News Friday from Jerez
Gardner suffered a double leg fracture in an awkward landing from a jump in the week leading up to the Jerez race. He was riding at Montmelo outside Barcelona, close to his Sitges home.
Three days earlier Aegerter was enduro training when he fractured his pelvis, also requiring surgery.
Both will be out for an indeterminate time; with races coming at regular fortnightly intervals from now on.
Another Moto2 rider, Marcel Schrotter, was back on his bike, if painfully, after suffering ligament damage in a crash at the last round in Austin, Texas.
In MotoGP, Dani Pedrosa was closer to full recovery after his heroic ride in Texas with a freshly broken wrist; but rookie Hafizh Syahrin was battered and bruised after a high-speed cycle crash.
Motocross or other off-road training has claimed a number of high-profile victims at regular intervals. Rossi is one, spoiling one whole season after a shoulder injury back in 2010, and almost missing last year’s Italian GP after a heavy landing on a motocross track left him with internal injuries.
The Spirit at KTM Draws Zarco
KTM’s successful bid to recruit Johann Zarco to the factory team was not because they had shown him anything new for next season.
According to Motorsports Director Pit Beirer, it was “more the spirit and feeling in the team” that had convinced him. “We also showed him the space in the factory and the strength of the effort for the MotoGP project,” he said.
Zarco spoke yesterday of his interest in the challenge: he has the chance to become the first European rider on a European machine to take the World Championship since Phil Read on the MV Agusta in 1974.
Now Beirer was hosting a conference explaining the Austrian factory’s side.
Along with Zarco and his team-mate Pol Espargaro, both signed for the next two years, KTM was also adding the Tech 3 team to strength, with the promise of full factory support.
“It is not as a classic satellite team, but part of the factory project,” he said. For example, rider choice would be arrived at together.
He confirmed that KTM would be gaining a lot of MotoGP experience and “very strong knowledge” with the French team, which has run satellite MotoGP Yamahas for the past 19 years.
As head of all KTM motorsport, including off-road, his policy was to recruit the best people. “I try not to be the smartest guy at the table,” he said.
New Approach Yields Results at KTM
KTM’s strong early challenge at Jerez – with Pol Espargaro setting third-fastest time in the first free practice – reflected a temporary change in approach for the Austrian manufacturer.
With test rider Mika Kallio taking a wild card ride on the 2019 prototype Red Bull KTM, Motorsports Director Pit Beirer explained this had freed up the regular riders to concentrate on racing rather than development.
Normally, he explained, Espargaro and team-mate Bradley Smith would have a lot of different parts to test at each race. This affected their performance, especially in the early sessions. “This weekend we decided that they should concentrate on race set-up from the beginning.
“It’s nice to see, and it looks like we can be competitive,” he said.
In the afternoon, Espargaro failed to improve and dropped to tenth overall … but still less than seven tenths off the fastest time.
Kallio’s prototype bike had small differences in chassis and engine, he said, declining to enlarge on the details.
Decision on Suzuki Satellite Squad Delayed
A decision on a proposed Suzuki satellite team had to be deferred at Jerez, after Japanese race-department chief Shinichi Sahara was forced to miss the trip to Jerez through ill health.
The Marc VDS squad, currently running low-grade Hondas, is expected to fill the role, becoming Suzuki’s first official non-factory team.
The paddock remained on tenterhooks, but the smart money suggests the decision is only awaiting the final factory go-ahead.