It was always going to be a tough Americas GP for new team Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, visiting a new track and it being a difficult, 20-corner venue like COTA. But there were some big interesting developments and positives for the Austrian factory, with Pol Espargaro testing a new aero-fairing in practice and finding nothing negative to note.
The race saw Espargaro sadly unable to finish after a problem with the clutch appeared on Lap 2, but next up is Jerez – a circuit where the team have already tested – and a test at Le Mans as the data-gathering and constant progress continue on European soil.
INFO @polespargaro entered pits @MotoGP #AmericasGP due to issue with clutch leaking oil. ????♂️
— KTM Factory Racing (@KTM_Racing) 23 April 2017
Espargaro’s DNF in the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas was also the first for the team in 2017, an impressive record for an all-new effort.
Pol Espargaro, DNF: “We started to feel this problem with the clutch in the second lap. I was not fast enough in the straights and in some corners the front was shaking quite a lot. Honestly the guys put in a big effort this weekend with the new fairing, and they didn’t get much sleep. We were really unlucky. I don’t know what we could have done, but maybe it would have been possible to take a point. We will have some new parts to test in Le Mans and after that we race in Jerez, where we have already been with the KTM. I feel something good is coming but we need to be patient.”