Maverick Vinales has soaked under the official Aragon Lap Record to reject top spots Marco Bezzecchi and Marc Marquez in the MotoGP test.
After crashing at the Grand Prix on Sunday, the Tech3 KTM rider rebounded in style when testing new aerodynamics and “updated engine configuration” and the latest mass damper on the RC16.
Aero appears to be a factory priority, with multiple aero options available for five riders to get on track, including test rider Pol Espargaro.
“On positive days, we worked hard to improve our bikes in terms of turning,” Venares said.
“It was important to maintain the same level today, continue to ride and improve. I’m really pleased with all the teamwork.”
Maverick Vinales tested new KTM fairings and salad boxes
Maverick Vinals
Pushing on how the new fairing behaved, Vinaru explained:
“The brakes give you a little less performance, and when you gas it turns, you get a lot of it by turning the corner, and it’s probably good that the bike spins on the tracks going forward.
Vinall also spent time on the latest version of KTM’s “salad box” to house Ducati’s mass dampers and use them to counter chatter and vibrations.
“It’s very important to make it work because if it works, it takes out a lot of vibration, so it’s a good improvement.
“So we need to make it work, because the problem is that when it’s very hot, the configuration isn’t necessarily the same while it’s running.
“But if it works well, you need to make kilometres because it’s a good implementation for the bike.”
Pedro Acosta is the next best KTM for the fifth time in total timesheets, with Brad Binder 13, Vinales teammates Enea Bastianini 16th and Espargaro 19th.
“We were mainly working on the aero side and some chassis components,” said Sebastian Lis, KTM Technical Director.
“We tried to take a wide photo of many items through all four MotoGP riders and achieved that. We found some positives.
“We need to analyze the data and see how we can put together it in the fastest time frame possible.”
The Italian Grand Prix at Muguero, where KTM holds the highest record in top speeds ever, will take place from June 20th to 22nd.