KTMs equal at start - then Espargaro, Oliveira 'top guys'

The intention when KTM signed its satellite MotoGP partnership with Tech3 was to supply the French team with equal machinery to the factory outfit.

But that didn't prove possible last year, an issue of concern for Miguel Oliveira when it was announced that rookie Brad Binder would fill the seat vacated by Johann Zarco at the official team in 2020.

"We were supposed to have a factory bike this year, that didn't happen until recently and who knows about next year?" the Portuguese had said.

But Oliveira's fears over machinery this season look to be unfounded, with KTM team manager Mike Leitner saying: "At the last test in Doha, [all four riders] were using exactly the same material."

Tech3 boss Herve Poncharal also told the MotoGP website: "Clearly that was the idea from the very beginning: The philosophy, the spirit, and the will, was always to support four bikes together.

"If you've got four riders with the same package you have four times the feedback, they can gather more information, which is crucial to develop and improve the bike."

But as new parts are introduced during this season, some kind of priority order needs to be decided.

Poncharal revealed that, rather than handing parts to the factory team riders first, as is normally the case in MotoGP, it will be done by experience; meaning Pol Espargaro and Oliveira.

"Clearly, they are the two top guys for KTM on paper, they will be receiving development at the same speed in case there are only two sets [of parts] available, prior to the rookies," Poncharal explained.

"The rookies [Binder and Iker Lecuona] will have the same bike as the others for the start of the championship, but the mission for them is more to understand MotoGP and develop for the future."

After battling for race wins with their former Yamaha machinery, Tech3 had to be content with a best of eighth place, by Oliveira, last season.

However, from what Poncharal has seen in pre-season testing, when the delayed MotoGP season finally gets underway it'll be more 'open' the ever.

"I have been here for more than 40 years and I've never seen, from the technical and rider-level point of view, such a close MotoGP championship," he said.

"I believe we will be to a similar situation as Moto2 and Moto3 because we've never had six manufacturers so close and now in MotoGP you only have top riders, each of them with the possibility of the podium one day.

"The [top guys in recent seasons] will still be very strong, but I think it will be much more open and no-one will be champion 4-5 races before the end."