KTM to make early MotoGP debut at Valencia

KTM is set to make its MotoGP debut with a wildcard entry at the Valencia season finale.

The squad had planned to make its debut next season but has elected to join the grid at the November event.

Development riders Mika Kallio and Thomas Luthi continued to evaluate KTM’s new MotoGP machinery at the Red Bull Ring test yesterday.

The pair ended the session more than two seconds shy of the pace but Kallio is happy with the progress made before the team’s competitive debut.

“(We’re) around two seconds behind the fastest guys, at the moment it’s quite good,” test rider Kallio told the official MotoGP website.

“We still have time to work before we come to the Valencia race.”

KTM has already confirmed that current Tech3 Yamaha riders Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith will join the outfit next season.

Andrea Dovizioso emerged quickest as Ducati dominated the opening day of the MotoGP Red Bull Ring test.

The Italian saved his best until the final 15 minutes of the session as he produced a 1:23.764s effort to shoot to the top of the times at the venue which will host the Austrian Grand Prix next month.

Dovizioso proved to be more than half a second faster than team-mate Andrea Iannone, Pramac Ducati’s Scott Redding and Ducati development rider Casey Stoner.

Ducati filled seven of the top 10 positions as the Italian marque confirmed earlier predications that the Austrian track would suit their machinery.

Stoner, making his fourth test appearance of the season, impressed throughout with the morning and afternoon sessions.

The two-time MotoGP champion occupied second late in the afternoon before falling back to fourth just 0.7s adrift of Dovizioso.

Suzuki’s Maverick Vinales split the Ducati onslaught with the Spaniard fifth fastest 0.8s shy of the outright pace.

Hector Barbera (Avintia Ducati), Eugene Laverty (Aspar Ducati), Danilo Petrucci (Pramac Ducati) filled positions sixth through to eighth.

Valentino Rossi was ninth while reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo finished in 12th just ahead of Australia’s Jack Miller.

Miller was just 0.2s slower than Lorenzo as the Marc VDS Honda shared the track with fellow Australian Stoner for the first time.

The factory Honda squad has elected not to take part in the two-day test.

Testing at the Red Bull Ring will conclude today.

Result: MotoGP Red Bull Ring Test Day 1