Little by little, the coronavirus crisis is losing more and more of its health dimension to take on a significant volume in economic and social matters. The fault is a global confinement affecting both all the countries which have closed their borders and the population which must remain in their homes. An asphyxiation for the trade and motorcycle manufacturers who are starting to run out of air. All this brought back to simple MotoGP means that the Grands Prix are right to be worried. We must therefore count our money to face the storm which is already starting to blow. Drivers' salaries are a burning issue, especially at KTM as it is being asked right now...
De Carmelo Ezpeleta à Hervé Poncharal, everyone in the paddock agrees that everything will have to be renegotiated in MotoGP. The situation has been turned upside down and the conditions which led to agreements are no longer met. But to have a clear idea of the news, we will have to get through this difficult stage that is 2020. If we can still run through it, the shock will be relatively cushioned for the following years. Otherwise…
At KTM, however, we will not wait until 2021 to talk about pilot salaries. This theme is already on the agenda, and for a very simple reason recalled by the competition director Pete Beirer : “ we have clauses in contracts that the work must be done before we are entitled to the money ", he explained in an interview with Günther Wiesinger on Speedweek. com. " When the going gets tough, you can pay the bills for what the athletes actually did. »
To be clear, pilot contracts provide that the agreed amount will be reduced if the service is not fully performed, i.e. if all planned tests or competitions have not been executed…” Everyone needs to contribute something so we can save money during the months of April, May and June. Because we still have to have a budget available if we can complete eight, ten or eleven races in the fall. »
The group KTM does not count less than 58 factory riders and 460 teams under contract for the KTM, Husqvarna and GasGas brands, in every imaginable discipline from Moto3, Moto2, MotoGP to World Cup Cross, World Cup Supercross, Enduro Sport and Rally like the Dakar. So there will be work for HR!
But beyond the case of its pilots, Pete Beirer recalls the seriousness of the general situation: “ we cannot afford to be shut down for several months. The shutdown is about curbing the spread of the virus. But now we have to start the economic cycle again soon. There's no way around this. The manufacturing sector, which has a large number of jobs, must restart. You have to remake beautiful things and products that some people need. And those who have work can afford these products. Otherwise, people will lose their jobs and soon will no longer be able to pay their rent. This is how the normal economic cycle occurs. »
We will recall that the team Tech3 is the satellite team of KTM in Grand Prix, a commitment in MotoGP and Moto3. The Austrians' adventure is also largely supported by funds from their compatriot Red Bull.
