WorldSBK test: Kawasaki, Yamaha, BMW and Go Eleven at Aragón with KTM

KTM has booked the track, extending the invite to other teams. Over the next three days, Motorland will host various bikes competing in both MotoGP and SBK. The Austrian manufacturer will host the production-derived bikes, with Dani Pedrosa and Mika Kallio riding a laboratory RC16 alongside the Kawasakis, BMWs, Yamahas and Ducatis.

Let’s start with the red team, which continues its work on the blue Panigale V4 R Go Eleven ridden by tall, blond, ‘independent’ rider Chaz Davies, the Welsh number 7 more than ready to battle it out with the factory riders. The green Provec duo is more factory than ever, Johnny Rea and Alex Lowes increasingly strong aboard the new Ninja, already appreciated by Isaac Vinales, lining up in Orelac colours.

Toprak Razgatlioglu returns to work following coronavirus, quarantine, a trip back to Turkey, and recovery. Crescent-Brixx also fields Supersport world champion and SBK rookie Andrea Locatelli, fighting fit and well worth keeping an eye on. Four BMWs complete the line-up, or rather the M1000 RR Motorrad bikes of Tom Sykes and Michael Van Der Mark, the Bonovo Action of Jonas Folger, and Eugene Laverty aboard the RC Squadra Corse machine.

Dani Pedrosa, is he (perhaps) the best KTM rider?

The Spaniard has had an impressive, prestigious career and though small in stature, he’s a giant in terms of his riding. As well as two 250 titles, he’s also a former 125 champion. And then so many wins in MotoGP of course, titles lost due only to bad luck and serious injury.

Since working as KTM test rider, the RC16 bikes have improved. We saw this last year, with wins for Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira, as well as podiums for Pol Espargaró. The orange bike is struggling this year, but we how much do we want to bet that, with indications from the Spanish champ, the Mattighofen four-cylinder starts to climb the classification?

Translated by Heather Watson

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