Although present in Grand Prix for a long time (Marc Márquez made his debut there in 125 cc in 2009 but KTM was already in MotoGP in 2005), KTM has worked hard since 2017, by simultaneously fielding an official team in Moto2 and another in MotoGP. A rise in power made possible both by a high technological level, but above all by commercial expansion throughout the world.
As is often the case, when growth is very rapid, the question arises as to whether this growth will not come at the expense of other sporting programs, and we then think in particular of the Moto3 category currently dominated by Honda...
Pete Beirer, the competition manager of the Austrian firm responds in the negative via comments reported by the site Motorsport-total.com.
Pete Beirer : “We are a competitive society. The Ready-to-Race philosophy is not just a marketing slogan. Everything goes hand in hand. We equip 72 factory riders around the world. Lots of teams, trucks, workshops and employees come together. It's amazing how much gear is needed to equip 72 factory riders. We don't even count recruits in this list. If we have an idea, we try to develop solutions together with the racing drivers and the research and development department, which we will later integrate into series production. We use racing to promote new products.
We have the new headquarters of the competition department. The focus is on the MotoGP project. However, there is an exchange of information between all categories which is more important than ever. The MotoGP project has given birth to new technologies. This is also an advantage for other categories. »
The Dakar Rally, dominated by KTM since 2001, is still of capital importance for KTM which does not intend to give it up...
“We are always told that one day we will be dethroned in the Dakar. We know it's going to happen. But we don't want to lose. We hate losing. We work hard to be well prepared. We promise to all riders, team managers and fans that we will not neglect other categories due to the MotoGP project. This is an additional project made possible by the increase in sales. »
Today, KTM is the only manufacturer involved in Grand Prix which has formed a real sector, starting with the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup and culminating in MotoGP.
Even that established by the giant Honda seems more sparse, except perhaps for the Asian riders who find refuge in the Idemitsu Honda Asia team in Moto2.
However, it should be noted that the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team has gradually gone from three to one motorcycle…
