Worrying noises from KTM’s garage as newest star baffled by bike’s quirks

Enea Bastianini gave a worried assessment of his adaptation to the KTM after Day 1 of the Buriram test.

Bastianini was 16th on the timesheets at the official MotoGP preseason test.

He later admitted that swapping the factory Ducati for a Tech3 KTM is proving more difficult than anticipated.

“I was very busy, especially because I was not motivated. We tried a lot of solutions. In the end? Nothing,” Bastianini said on Wednesday.

“In the afternoon we went in the opposite direction.

“We tried something different to what I usually like.

“In the end? It was good, with this bike.

“The main problem came with myself because I have in my mind the style of the Ducati.

“This bike isn’t quite [like a Ducati]...”

Enea Bastianini shares KTM concern

Bastianini admitted he has been taken aback by how different the Ducati and the KTM are.

“A bit, yes,” he said. “Because on-track it was quite similar from the outside.

“But on the inside? It’s completely different.

“I need more time than [I expected] to be comfortable and faster.”

Bastianini noted the key area where he is falling behind.

“One thing is the use of the rear brake. It is the opposite,” he explained.

“If you use the rear brake on the straight, the rear moves a lot.

“The vibrations from the rear then come to the front!

“But to modify this after many years is complicated. You’d need an incredible result.”

However, Bastianini did add: “In the afternoon I improved, and I am happy.”

He has one more day of testing his KTM before the first race weekend in Thailand on February 28-March 2.