KTM has received the green light to open the engines of its RC16 vehicles the week before the Aragón Grand Prix, according to the approval of the other MotoGP manufacturers. This decision comes after a formal request from the brand through the MSMA and IRTA association to replace a defective part that was causing the bikes to stop.
The rider Pedro Acosta has experienced several incidents due to this problem during the season, including a serious accident at the Barcelona circuit. Initially, KTM did not obtain the necessary approval to carry out the modifications, with only Aprilia agreeing with the proposal. However, after the summer break, most manufacturers consented to the modification for safety reasons for the riders.
In a statement issued recently, KTM confirmed that it has received permission to begin implementing corrective measures. ‘Our goal is to make these modifications as soon as possible,’ the team stated, while indicating that in Silverstone they would continue with the current provisional solutions.
KTM is currently in group C under the concessions system, which means that each KTM rider has eight engines to complete the season. These engines are sealed and cannot be modified without the approval of the other competitors. Additionally, the technical regulations state that the opening of the engines can only be done under the supervision of a technical official from the championship.
Therefore, during the week before the GP of Aragón, KTM engineers will be able to open the sealed engines with the supervision of a technical official from IRTA, who will verify which part is changed before resealing the engine. This will prevent KTM from having to introduce new engines into its rotation, which would imply a penalty that would force riders to start from the pit lane with each engine change.
Moreover, to avoid the problems that have affected Acosta’s bike during the season, KTM has limited the revolutions of all available engines. This measure would have had a negative effect on the performance of the riders, but starting from the Aragón event, they will be able to count on engines that offer full performance and operational reliability, as long as everything runs smoothly.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
SourceID: SRC_7105e45f4f558927d704c3d9486187de2fc432d2