Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder start San Marino GP with fifth and sixth fastest times, respectively on day they debut a new KTM chassis. Karel Hanika places twenty-fifth.

Oliveira, San Marino Moto3 2015

The San Marino Grand Prix weekend began this Friday with a major development for the Red Bull KTM Ajo riders. The great work done by KTM in recent months has allowed Oliveira, Binder and Hanika to debut a chassis that gave them a good feeling, right from their first kilometres with it. Oliveira and Binder adapted quickly to the new frame for the fifth and sixth fastest times, respectively, on the combined timesheet. Hanika was twenty-fifth, after a day in which he struggled to find a good feeling.

There was an accident-filled start to the Grand Prix for the Moto3 category, as an incident between two riders brought out the red flag in the seventh minute of FP1. When back out on track, the Red Bull KTM Ajo riders made some positive steps forward with the setup of their KTM machines. Binder -1:43.331, third- and Oliveira -1:43.715, fifth- were among the fastest riders in the first 40 minutes, with the Portuguese one of the riders with the best pace. Hanika completed the session twenty-fifth, with a time of 1:45.218.

In the afternoon, it was not easy to lower the lap times. Of the Red Bull KTM Ajo riders, only Miguel Oliveira -third, 1:43.330- and Hanika -24th, 1:44.745- were capable of doing so. Both set their best lap on their last run, in which Oliveira completed a series of 5 consecutive laps in the 1:43 range. Meanwhile, Binder completed the session in eighth place -1:43.708.

Tomorrow sees qualifying for the San Marino GP, starting at 12:35pm. The trio will be chasing a place on the front row at Misano.

Results (Combined practice time FP1-FP2)
1. Danny Kent (Honda) 1:43.097
2. Enea Bastianini (Honda) 1:43.133 +0.036
3. Romano Fenati (KTM) 1:43.171 +0.074
4. Niccolo Antonelli (Honda) 1:43.279 +0.182
5. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:43.330 +0.233
6. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:43.331 +0.234
25. Karel Hanika (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:44.745 +1.648

Miguel Oliveira,
“Today went well. KTM have done a great job with the new chassis and right from the beginning I felt comfortable. In the morning we were fast and in the afternoon too, and we were consistent on every lap. I am pleased, as the new chassis provides more grip and more stability. For tomorrow we have room for improvement and I hope to take a step forward with my times and setup -also with my riding. Let’s see how we go.”

Brad Binder,
“Today I felt good. We debuted a new chassis and we have taken a good step forward with it, but we still have to find a good setup, because what we were using with the old bike is not perfect. Tomorrow we have to keep working and find the best feeling with the bike, but we know in which direction we have to go. This afternoon you could tell that we were working with an engine with many kilometres on the clock, so tomorrow will also be different. I am pleased and want to thank KTM for their fantastic work. They have worked very hard on this new chassis!”

Karel Hanika,
“It is true that this has not been the best start to a GP this season, but that’s normal considering that we are debuting a chassis. We have only done a few kilometres and the setup of the bike is different from before, so we need more experience with it to improve. Honestly, I think my performance is not good enough and that I must improve on several points.

Tomorrow we will look to do better in these aspects to adjust to the new chassis, which has great potential. KTM have done a great job. We have a lot of room for improvement, so we will try to find our way tomorrow.”