K♚TM have been buoyed by a message to hold their “heads high” after the Americas MotoGP hinted at their promise.

Last weekend’♑s race at the Circuit of the Americas featured chaotic scenes on the starting grid, triggered by Marc Marquez, who then fell out of the lead to enable Ducati teammate Pecco Bagnaia to win.

But෴ Kevin Schwantz has run the rule over the oth🧸er four manufacturers.

KTM must “holds heads high”

The financial difficulties that KTM revealed over the winter are in the proꦐcess of beingꦉ restructured, but their bike’s lack of competitiveness was noted at the earliest rounds.

Tech3 newcomers Enea Bastianini and Maverick Vinales had offere🅠d few positive words about their new bike until they got to America.

Bastianini was seventh, and that mig📖ht’ve been even better without the starting gr💟id drama which robbed him of his slick tyre advantage.

But he was the only KTM in the top 10.

“A difficult result by KTM. But you try to take whatever 💫you can,” Schwantz analyseꦬd.

“Bastianini had ♛the best result, by far, of the season. Coming from way back on the grid.

“They have to h🃏old their heads high and think ‘maybe there is some potential in this motorcycle’.”

Bastianini later confirmed that h🌸eꦦ felt good for the first time on a KTM in Texas.

V𓄧inales insisted the next round 𓄧in Qatar can show KTM’s potential.

‘Expect big things’ from Aprilia

M🔯arco Bezzecchi was seventh, and Ai Ogura nint🍸h, at COTA.

𓃲“Bez got up there and scrapped with them, a 💧little bit. That’s progress from where he qualified,” Schwantz said.

“The Trackhouse boys were there, Ai Ogura was꧒ in the top 10. T🍃hat’s two of the four.

“They miss Jorge Martin💟’s inᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚput, his laps, his data.

“When he gets back on the bike, we can expect some big things from Aprilia.”

Jack Miller credited for key skill

Pramac Yamaha’s Jack🍎 Miller tamed the tricky conditions to finish fifth. It was a continuation of his bright start to Yamaha machinery.

“To be the lead Yamaha is a great job for Jack,” Schwantz said.

“Pramac are new to Yamaha and are working with ❀the setu♛p.

“Jack see😼ms to be able to get more out of the motorcycle than most can, i𝐆n less than perfect condition.

“He did what we expect ‘Thrilla’ to do. He kept it 𒐪near the front for as long as he could, and to bring home fifth is a grea༒t result.”

Honda ‘progress’

Honda ha🧔ve gathered praise for their huge improvement since a dra♕b 2024.

Luca Marini was their best finisher at COTAꦍ, in eighth, after Argentin🦩a when three Hondas were in the top 10.

“Both Yamaha and Honda made some real progress, it seems,” S📖chwantz said.

“They are not consistently banging on the door at the pointy end of the🌸 field. But they🍌 are making progress.

“They are able to stick the𓆏se things further up there in qualifying.

“And the Yamaꦓhas are doing the same, closing the gap a lit﷽tle bit.

“Maybe not as consistently as they’👍d like to see. But any progress is progress.”