We don't change a winning team, they say, and both at Aki Ajo and at Red Bull KTM, we agree on the principle. Especially this season where the Austrian colors led by the Finn in the Moto2 and Moto3 categories are a hit with Raul Fernandez and Pedro Acosta. So much so that both hopefuls are coveted by the competition... But the recipe works. It will therefore be repeated for five more years.
It's official, Red Bull KTM et Aki Ajo will be together for five more years. The collaboration between the Austrian brand and the Finnish manager's team will therefore extend until 2026. An adventure started in 2012, when the Red Bull KTM Ajo won the first Moto3 title with Sandro Cortese . Four years later, it is Brad Binder who repeated the success in the same category. The same one who signed in MotoGP for KTM until 2024 and who has already won a Grand Prix in the major discipline. It was last year, in Brno. It will be recalled thatOlive tree, his teammate, comes from the same sector.
Over the past ten seasons, Ajo's team has been a key part of the KTM GP Academy. The Finn's name is associated with all stages of the KTM Grand Prix rocket, except at its top. But the push for the hopes of budding young champions is indeed Finnish.
Since 2012, the team has so far achieved 39 victories and 83 podiums in Moto3. In Moto2, she achieved 21 victories and 57 podium finishes. In addition to the two Moto3 titles, she helped Oliveira finish second in 2015 (Moto3) and 2018 (Moto2). Binder was Moto2 world runner-up in 2019.
So far, after the seven rounds of the 2021 season the Red Bull KTM Ajo has won four races in Moto3, with rookie Pedro Acosta and Jaume Masia. Acosta is currently the leader of the general classification. In Moto2, victories number four out of seven with Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez reaching the podium five times.
KTM: “in 2012 we only had one motorcycle and not even our truck”
Aki Ajo, team leader commented: “ We are very happy and grateful to continue the partnership with KTM in the coming years. It’s already our 10th season together, so it’s a natural and fantastic way to continue for at least another five years. The system we created with KTM and Red Bull, starting with the Rookies Cup and moving through Moto3 and Moto2 to MotoGP is quite unique in this paddock and works well. This type of connection motivates us in our work, because we can work with young talents year after year, developing their skills and trying to educate them to progress in their careers. We look forward to continuing to produce decent results in Moto3 and Moto2 ».
Pete Beirer, director of KTM Motorsports added: “ this new agreement is very satisfactory for us. Aki's team is having a great season so far and for ten years they have been a very important part of our structure. We are very interested in developing our talent and are investing heavily in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies, NTC and Moto3 efforts. We think this gives us a strong bond. This is the way we want to race and we are delighted to have shown that it can work in the MotoGP paddock ».
« In 2012 we were like a “guest” here. We had a motorbike, ambition and just a place at the back of Aki's garage. We didn't even have our own truck. I am happy and proud that Aki represents a special part of this great commitment because it means having more than 70 motorcycles on track today at the Sachsenring. He helped us get to MotoGP and we want to become even stronger ».
