Gardner will compete in the 2022 MotoGP season on a KTM Tech3 after beating team-mate Raul Fernandez in this year’s Moto2 title fight. The Australian, son of 1987 MotoGP world champion Wayne Gardner, finished the Jerez test in 22nd position in the combined times table, 1.8 seconds from the first reference.
KTM has won twice in 2021, but all the drivers of the Austrian house have had a rather difficult season. The RC16 is also an unconventional bike on the MotoGP grid, as it is the only one built around a tubular hybrid frame and equipped with WP suspension. When Motorsport.com asked Gardner how he found the switch to the steel frame, after using a conventional aluminum frame this season in Moto2, he replied: “It’s actually not too bad.”
“Obviously we had a bit of a slow start, but this happens to all rookies in MotoGP. But honestly, that’s more because we don’t know what the power, controls, ride height and other things are like. It’s a different bike, from a chassis and suspension point of view. So it’s not that bad, honestly ”.
The rookie then goes on to talk about the sensations he had on the KTM: “I felt quite comfortable even though it was quite stiff and I wasn’t driving too crazy. I think the bike was doing what it was supposed to do. Obviously it will get a lot harder once you start getting those faster lap times, but the bike isn’t bad. He probably needs to improve, but I was expecting a bit worse if I’m honest, so I’m pretty happy with the bike ”.
Remy Gardner is known to prefer bigger bikes, so he admits riding the KTM is already comfortable despite having a rib injury. However, he noticed in the test that he felt too much electronic interference on the bike and was struggling to slide the rear as he would have liked: “I came from dirt tracks as a child, so I’ve always been used to skidding and the bike sideways and turning with the rear. . Casey Stoner, my dad and all those guys came from the dirt track we did in Australia, so that definitely helps me, especially on the big bikes. “
“On the Moto2, with the Triumph it was a bit more big bike style, but it was a bit of a mix between Moto2 and Moto3 when we had the CBR engine, before 2019. But the Triumph was a bit of a bike style. largest and MotoGP is the second. So that’s okay. I feel too much electronics on the bike at the moment, so it’s taking away too much power from me. So, this is exactly what we have been working on in the last two days to be able to skid the bike a little more in the initial acceleration ”.
Remy Gardner, KTM Tech3
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
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