Although fuel is shaping up to be a major talking point in MotoGP due to the upcoming move to non-fossil fuels (40% from 2024, 100% by 2027), KTM’s Heinz Payreder emphasized that “the engine performance is driven by oil.”
This is not just in terms of total power, but with just seven engine changes allowed over the 20 rounds, limiting performance loss as each engine ‘ages’.
“Now the fuel is [a talking point] for everyone, but racing oil is equally or more important. Because engine performance is driven by oil,” said Payreder, KTM head of engine production and testing.
“And also the reliability of the engine, in terms of how much power the engine loses in kilometers. These are aspects that technicians see, but many times they don’t [mentioned].
“It’s not just about adjusting the oil to the engine, but the engine to the oil.
“Typically, the valve and piston are the parts most stressed by heat and speed,” but connecting rod bearings are also a high-risk area.
As for the level of “customization” involved, Tomek Young of Exxon Mobil said: “We joke that maybe we could create an oil specifically for one driver against the other!
“I mean, that’s our bread and butter. We put this motor oil together from in-house components. And this oil for KTM is really interesting. We have, like, a unique component that’s not used anywhere else .We carry it specifically for KTM.
“What advantages can it bring? We look at this oil and try to understand how the overall composition correlates with engine performance, deposits, losses and bearing wear. And the tanks are so complex, even different parts of the piston. You can evaluate how deposits, corrosion, loss of power develop.
During its preliminary talks with KTM, the Austrian factory made it clear what it wanted from the partnership.
“We know they wouldn’t put our oil in their bike if there wasn’t an improvement. Sponsorship is not enough. It’s never about money. It’s about performance,” Young said.
“In the first meeting we had [the KTM] the boys were saying, “We will leave no stone unturned.” We will look at everything methodically and in 2024 we will go for a championship.”
Non-fossil fuels “not plug and play”, but “similar performance”
As for MotoGP’s next generation of non-fossil fuel, Payreder confirmed that some changes to the engine configuration will be needed, but he doesn’t expect performance to drop.
“Very, very similar. Not a big difference,” he said. “But in the long term, we want to win [engine performance]. That’s always our goal.”
“Definitely the timing,” he said of the engine modifications to suit the non-fossil fuel. “We’re going to try to use the same combustion chamber, but we’re also going to try some different specs.
“It won’t be plug and play. Because the components [in the fuel] they are different, the burning rate is different. So in the end, at the very least, we will have to do a new calibration”.
KTM are currently third and eighth in the world championship standings with Brad Binder and Jack Miller respectively. Both have made podium appearances, with Binder also taking two Sprint wins.
VR46 Ducati’s Marco Bezzecchi, currently second in the world championship, is the only rider to have “retired” one of his engines so far this season.
Yamaha’s Franco Morbidelli has ‘used’ four different engines, with the rest of the grid still alternating between the original two from Portimao or a third.
