A bold new KTM MotoGP chassis has shown "promising" results, according to rider Pedro Acosta. This comes as a breath of fresh air for the Austrian brand, which has faced a challenging start to the 2025 season amidst a financial crisis for its parent company.
KTM's Tech3 rider, Maverick Vinales, placed third overall on the opening day of the Sepang test, while Acosta, who chose not to focus on time attacks, finished in 15th position.
The team had a range of new items to test, with a standout being a "new concept" chassis. Acosta's feedback on the first day riding the 2026 RC16 was positive.
"It was quite promising, to be honest," he said. "We spent the morning trying out different chassis configurations, and it went pretty well. Managing the tyre allocation for three days is tough, but even with worn tyres in the afternoon, we had a productive day. I'm happy with the work we did, even if we were a bit off the pace in terms of lap times. The new chassis configuration looks promising; it's a fresh approach. It's working, and I'm pleased with day one."
Acosta's chassis testing on Tuesday used up more tyres than planned, which will impact his strategy for Wednesday.
"Day two might be more of a working day as we burned through tyres with the chassis testing today," he explained.
But here's where it gets controversial... Maverick Vinales, riding for Tech3, had a "good feeling" with the KTM right from the start. He also revealed that he's no longer experiencing pain in his injured shoulder from last year.
"I had a lot to test, especially considering my shoulder condition. So, I'm feeling very positive because my shoulder is doing well. I have no pain when riding, which is fantastic. We built up good strength over the winter, and that's why I'm optimistic today. It was one of the things holding me back in the second half of last season when I couldn't push as hard. Now, my riding style is completely different, and I'm thrilled about that. I immediately felt comfortable with the bike, and we worked efficiently. There's still a lot of work to do, especially on the item side. It's a different approach compared to last year, but I'm quite optimistic we can build a solid foundation for the first races."
And this is the part most people miss... Lewis, a journalist with five years of experience covering MotoGP for the Motorsport Network, joined the Crash.net team in August 2024.
So, what do you think? Are you excited about KTM's new direction? Do you think they can turn things around? Let us know in the comments!
