This weekend, between the first round of Superbike at Phillip Island and the latest MotoGP tests at Qatar, these are two cultures of motorcycle speed that will confront each other. But enough kilometers apart to have fun in different time zones which will not harm fans of both camps. Finally, since the promoter Dorna took care of everything, the bell tower quarrel has turned into bickering between giant clam frogs. But all the same, we don't mix. Well, we're not going there. So, if Kawasaki and BMW are not in MotoGP, KTM has no intention of going against WSBK. A position that the big boss of the Mattighofen brand explains with a strong point of view…
If some people still had some hope when seeing RC8s in the German championship of the specialty, let them quickly turn around. KTM does not plan a successor for the RC8 in the near future. Which means that the Superbike World Championship is not interesting for the boss of the manufacturer.
The 1190 RC8 was KTM's first Superbike. The motorcycle is equipped with the four-stroke V2 engine delivering a power of approximately 155 hp. It has been sold since 2008. An optimized version exists and bears the name RC8 R. A racing version has been seen in IDM. Martin Bauer won the championship title in 2011 with. Originally, an entry into WSBK was planned, but this remained without follow-up. There is currently no successor to the RC8 missile.
There is also no branching between the Superbike and the MotoGP machine that is planned, as Honda has done for example with the RC213V-S, which has legal status. “ No I am not interested" , said Stefan Pierer, CEO of KTM. “ Superbike has become a very small and very expensive segment. » It is true that, worldwide, sales of its sports cars are declining. But KTM's competitors believe in it, because it is also a technological showcase.
Furthermore, the same Pierre has a strong opinion about WSBK… “ She has no popularity. In MotoGP there are 200 viewers, whether in Malaysia or Austria, it's just marketing, so I can justify a budget of 000 million euros because then we sell more bikes. »
Only Kawasaki focuses exclusively on the Superbike World Championship. MotoGP is the most important project for all other brands. This is why only MotoGP and its global reach matter to KTM: “ we are number 1 in Europe and number 5 in the world“, declares Pierre on motorsport total about KTM's current size compared to other motorcycle brands. “ Over the next few years, we want to be among the top three and sell half a million motorcycles. So you can't do simple club racing, but rather compete with Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki ».
