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After a long break, Enea Bastianini is ready to get back on his KTM RC16 to face the Sepang tests. Three important days for the rider from Rimini, who will have to try to adapt as quickly as possible to the Austrian bike, in order to start testing already in Malaysia some of the many new features the Mattighofen-based manufacturer has been working on during the winter break.
"I prepared my plan for these three days, but I didn't talk much with Dani Pedrosa and Pol Espargaró about the solutions they tried in the Shakedown, because when I arrived and saw Dani he had earplugs. When I see him again, we will probably talk a little bit," Enea said, "At the moment I don't know if my program will resemble that of the factory riders. My bike is quite similar to the one I tried during the test in Barcelona. I will have to get more confidence initially and try to learn more about the KTM, then we can try some new solutions on the second day. Maverick and I will probably do a different kind of work in the beginning, though."
Despite having tested the KTM for only one day in Barcelona, the rider from Romagna already has some clear aspects to improve in Malaysia.
"The KTM is very strong in corner entry, but not for long: when the tyre starts to drop a bit, you start to lose the rear often. This is one of the problems we have to try to solve. Otherwise, I need to understand the situation better because after only one test in Barcelona, and 50 laps completed, I was not able to talk to the team and give them much information. Maybe from this test I will have more time to understand better," he noted.
It will not be easy to find the right balance between understanding the bike and testing the new parts, but the Tech3 team rider does not seem particularly worried.
"It is important to understand how much energy we have at the beginning, because sometimes you do a lot of laps on the first day and in the second day you are destroyed, because your physical condition is good but not enough for MotoGP, since it is different from riding a motocross bike or any other type of bike," he explained, "The first day is important to work with the same bike for the whole day, and then KTM will probably want to try some new solutions, which I'm curious to see as well."
There are many changes that Bastianini will have to adapt to in this start of the year, which sees him arrive in a new team, on a new bike, with a new crew chief and a new manager.
"It's definitely been a very intense winter, because there have been changes, but in spite of that I've had to keep training and I've tried to stay 100 percent focused and as carefree as possible. Nothing is ever easy, but I managed to manage myself well, did my work and sorted out some internal issues. It 's been complicated but effective," commented the 27-year-old, who is ready to start this new chapter. "Honestly, I don't really know what to expect - I don't know whether to expect to start off on the right foot or to start off on the wrong one and then have to work on it. It is definitely a new adventure and I will have to try to deal with it as best I can, however, I am sure I can do well and improve no matter how I start the season. I am ready and I have not set myself any goals, because in my opinion as of today it would be unrealistic to make a prediction about my future. But I think the basis is good: I found Giribuola again, who had been my chief technician in the past and knows me well, and then the KTM is a good bike. I'm sure we can do a good job. Will it be possible to win a Grand Prix? Right now I can't answer that, but maybe after the tests I'll be able to give an extra indication."
One of the first positive outcomes of the changes made in the winter is definitely Enea's improvement in English.
"I didn't take any lessons, it also depends so much on the team, because I have to speak in English with everyone. It is important to have good communication with everyone, but we are just at the beginning. With the mechanics I speak in English, while with Giribuola and my electronics guy we speak in Italian, because Eric is a Spanish electronics guy who comes from LCR and speaks Italian very well. For me it is very good to be in this team so I can improve my English! - he said laughing - I have always raced for Italian teams and twice in Spanish teams, however, let's say it doesn't change so much. The only thing that really changes is that you have to speak more in English, but you can still relate very well. I feel comfortable and it doesn't change much."
In terms of environment and structure, the first impact with KTM was also very positive and not too different from what he experienced in Ducati.
"This is my first trip with them, but so far I've been comfortable on the level of organization and I've found more or less the same environment," he admitted, "I've taken back my right corner of the box, which I missed, and otherwise it's all pretty similar. It hasn't changed that much."
