KTM will be able to open the sealed engines of its RC16 bikes the week before the Aragon GP, after receiving approval from the rest of the manufacturers in MotoGP.
As Motorsport.com revealed in mid-July, KTM formally requested the remaining MotoGP manufacturers, through the MSMA and IRTA, for permission to open the sealed engines of its four MotoGP bikes in order to replace a part that is causing the bike to stop. Pedro Acosta has repeatedly faced this problem this season, including in Barcelona, where the issue caused a huge crash.
Initially, KTM did not receive the required approval, with sporting director Pit Beirer indicating that only Aprilia had agreed to the plan. However, after the summer break, the rest of the manufacturers have given the green light from the standpoint of rider safety.
"We confirm that we have received the necessary approval to proceed with the corrective measures related to the technical matter we have been managing. Our objective is to implement these measures as soon as possible. In the case of Silverstone, we will continue with the provisional solutions currently in place," was KTM's response this Friday when Motorsport.com asked how the situation stood.
KTM is currently in Group C under the Concession system. As such, according to MotoGP regulations, each KTM rider has eight engines available to complete the season, and these engines must be sealed and may be neither modified nor opened without the approval of the rest of the competitors.
In addition to having the approval of the rest of the manufacturers, the technical regulations state that this engine-opening operation may only be carried out under the supervision of a championship technical official. That means that in two weeks' time, the week before the Aragon GP, KTM's engineers will be able to open the sealed engines in the presence of an IRTA technical official, who will verify which part is being replaced and then reseal the engine.
That way, KTM will avoid having to introduce new engines into the rotation, which carries the penalty of having to start the race from the pitlane each time an engine is changed.
In an attempt to avoid the problem that has affected Acosta's bike during the season, KTM limited the revs of all the available power units. That has, supposedly, affected the performance of the manufacturer's riders, who from Aragon onwards will once again be able to have engines offering full power and operating reliability, provided everything goes well.
