It's that time of year again: the time the hills come alive with the sound of KTM's home race at the Red Bull Ring. So, of course, the only place to see and be seen ahead of the myWorld Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich is KTM's home base in Mattighofen, and that's exactly where Pol Espargaro and Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Miguel Oliveira and Hafizh Syahrin (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Brad Binder, Jorge Martin and Can Öncu (Red Bull KTM Ajo) headed on Wednesday for a very different challenge.
Getting ready for a home race weekend means it's all hands on deck, and the riders got a taste of the other side of the fence. How do the bikes go from factory floor to race ready and on track? It was time to find out as the squad swapped leathers for factory gear and got hands on.
With a little direction from boss Pit Beirer, the riders were tasked with taking over. Pol Espargaro got acquainted with aero and learned how to put on the fairings and change the front wheel, with teammate Zarco learning how to change the rear.
Oliveira, meanwhile, headed for the engine guys to get to know his machine inside out, with Syahrin tasked with loading the truck...and manoeuvring it out to get on the road. Just a few honks on the horn later, the Malaysian headed off into the sunset, albeit briefly.
Binder headed for WP to take a closer look at his front forks, getting his hands dirty and showing off a few skills, and sparks flew for teammate Martin, who got hands on with the welder. Öncu, meanwhile, was charged with coaxing some magic out of the 3D printer. (Not as easy as it looks).
Then each rider saddled up and got ready to race - a well-used phrase in these parts - before riding away from the factory on their choice of KTM, headed for Spielberg. All except Öncu, that was, who had to ride pillion with Brad Binder. One pro of being the youngest on the grid is breaking records, a definite con is not being allowed to ride on the road...
That road now leads to Spielberg and the Red Bull Ring, with the stunning track lying in wait for action to begin. Friday morning at 9:00 (GMT +2) is when the flag for practice drops and the talking stops, before race day for the myWorld Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich revs up on Sunday.
The hottest album of 2019 is about to drop! Top photo L-R: Zarco, Martin, Oliveira, Binder, Öncu, Espargaro and Syahrin
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