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Fabiano Sterlacchini is one of KTM's leading men in the search for an outright competitive edge in MotoGP, a category in which the bar continues to rise relentlessly, bringing ever new challenges to the engineers' table. Sterlacchini has had a long experience in Ducati, also collaborating with Gigi Dall'Igna and actively participating in the growth of the Desmosedici from 2015 to 2020, years in which the Italian bike established itself step by step as the benchmark on the track for all rivals, helping to shuffle the cards on the table thanks to an endless series of technical innovations that changed the face of the bikes on the starting grid.
Embracing the KTM cause meant taking over a project that only managed to prove competitive at times, with a bike that proved successful in some situations and then disappointed in others. Some observers might have thought that the RC16 would have to undergo a revolution to try to find the right path, but the direction taken by the Italian engineer is quite different.
In fact, he chose to analyse the strengths of the project, to enhance them without distorting the concept of the RC16, a bike that features very different technical solutions compared to those of its rivals on the track. At the same time, the pool of engineers directed by Sterlacchini has been working to bring solutions to the pits aimed at allowing the riders to express themselves at a high level on each track. The results are clearly
For his part, Binder put together a consistency that allowed him to finish the world championship in sixth place in the overall standings and everyone agrees that had he improved in qualifying, the South African would have been one of the contenders for the title given the quality of his races. Brad often put together sensational comebacks and starting further up the grid he would undoubtedly have scored some victories in a 2023 that maybe didn't quite live up to expectations.
But the recipe is clear, that is to develop rather than revolutionize and it closely resembles what Ducati did between 2015 and 2020, the years in which the Desmosedici established itself at the top.
"Fabiano is now the undisputed leader from a technical point of view, but the work group was already there - explained Pit Beirer - We had fantastic guys who showed with five MotoGP victories that they can build a winning bike. So, Fabiano did not come here to show us how we work... But we knew that he is an engineer who understands the rider's needs. But he's not the only one, we have several people who understand both sides: what a racing team must do on the track and what the engineers and the whole group at home must do to be successful. Fabiano coordinates these tasks and brings his experience".
Brad Binder explained even better the approach of Sterlacchini, who has never given any interviews since he has held the role of technical director for KTM.
"Fabiano certainly has a different approach than Mike Leitner. He is much more specific and focused when it comes to what we change on the bike. He tries to see our problems and tries to solve them. He only changes the things that are directly related to our problems. Therefore, he finds a way to make everything move in the right direction, or at least in a direction that the engineers believe is the best. Therefore, he does everything to make his ideas work".
"There were no drastic changes in 2022, just small steps - confirmed Binder - Sometimes there were small changes to the front, other times to the rear, then a little more help with the handling for better acceleration. Or some ideas with the behaviour of the bike under braking. All these small steps don't seem huge now, but when added together they make us go faster by a few tenths of a second. Maybe two, three tenths that make the difference in MotoGP these days. Finding a second is a thing of the past in MotoGP. You have to deal with the small details to improve."
