Smith: “There’s no guarantee KTM will ever win”

The British rider is entering the final stages of his four-season tenure with the Tech 3 Yamaha squad, having signed a deal to join KTM for its first-ever foray into the premier class back in March.

KTM made its first appearance in a collective test session in July at the Red Bull Ring, where the Austrian marque’s test rider Mika Kallio finished within two seconds of the leader.

“I'm obviously very pleased [with how the test went], because, as even KTM would admit, they are a little bit ahead where they expect to be, which is nice,” Smith told Motorsport.com.

“I think we have to take it a little bit a pinch of salt because of the layout of this track [Spielberg]. There are only six or seven main corners, so when you turn up to somewhere like Austin and you have 22 corners, that's when the gap becomes a little bit different.

“They clearly have done a fantastic job, nothing other than what I expected, but ahead of the initial plan.

“That gives me confidence in terms of I made the right choice, and I wasn't crazy when I signed with them in March.”

Asked whether he felt KTM’s progress made him believe the team could match the performance levels of Suzuki when it returned to MotoGP last year, he said: “I think maybe it's asking a little bit too much.

“Suzuki had previous experience. They weren't a brand new manufacturer coming in, they had only three years off. It's not like starting from scratch, they had a lot of information.

“We can’t set our expectations that high: let's be more realistic, start off at the back and then try to find our way forward as much as we can in the first season.”

Smith added that, despite KTM’s considerable pedigree in other areas of the sport, there remains the prospect that the new operation may never get itself into a winning position.

“There is no guarantee it will ever happen when you're going up against manufacturers like Honda or Yamaha with so many years of experience,” he said. “That's quite scary.

“Look how long it took for Ducati to have something that's around the podium, and [before Austria] they hadn't won a GP in recent years. That's how hard this gig is.

“Suzuki as a manufacturer has been involved for years and [before Silverstone] only won once in the MotoGP era. There is no guarantee it will happen, and I think [within] two years is ambitious.”

Difficult 2016 

After finishing sixth overall in a breakthrough third premier class campaign last season, Smith has had trouble adapting to the new generation of Michelin tyres this season, and as a result has often struggled to match teammate Pol Espargaro.

The 25-year-old, who has also missed the most recent three races due to injury, admitted that his struggles have taken a toll on his confidence.

Asked if he felt personally ready to begin winning races, he said: “If you asked me at the end of last year, I'd have said ‘absolutely’, but it's been a difficult season.

“I've struggled to adapt to the Michelins, which is totally my fault, but at the end of last year I believed that the next step for me was to have a factory bike and fight for podiums.

“During these next two years I'd like to have the opportunity to fight for the podium, and take KTM where they need to be, and then earn my spot for when the bike is capable of winning races.

“At the end of the day, I want to be here in MotoGP for the long-term. I look at the best riders in the world, and I don't believe they're doing anything I can't.

“They are just able to ride the best bikes in the world with the best technicians, and they are full of confidence. That’s something that takes a long time to get.”