KTM

Pit Beirer On KTM's MotoGP Future: "Racing Is Part Of Our Business Model"

By David Emmett |

Unsurprisingly, when KTM's press officer started the online debriefs with journalists at the KTM launch, we were told that neither the riders nor the team managers would be able to comment on the Austrian manufacturer's financial woes. That would have to wait until KTM's Sporting Director Pit Beirer spoke to us at the end of the day (and once his computer had finished rebooting itself for the umpteenth time). But Beirer was very forthcoming about the current situation, KTM's future plans, and how they are approaching the coming season and beyond.

"It’s been a rough winter," Beirer said with a feeling for understatement. "But it’s nice to talk about racing." Racing is what KTM does, and what they will continue to do, he insisted. "Motorsport is a major part of our company. It’s not just our passion – it’s part of our business model. We go racing. Attached to our racing activities, there is a market. We wouldn’t be part of this restructuring [process] if that wasn’t the case."

OPINION: Are BMW About To Enter MotoGP? Maybe...

By David Emmett |

The reason there are currently only 22 bikes on the MotoGP grid, rather than the 24 Dorna has always said is the number they want, is simple. They have been keeping two slots open on the grid for another manufacturer ever since Suzuki pulled out of the series at the end of the 2022 season.

The phrase "another manufacturer" is a euphemism. The other manufacturer in question is BMW. Dorna have been trying to persuade BMW to enter MotoGP for decades. They came close shortly after the start of the four-stroke MotoGP era, with BMW building and testing a 990cc triple. But ever since then, BMW have been content to be an official partner, with German manufacturer supplying safety vehicles, sponsoring the BMW M Award for the best qualifier, and providing extensive sponsorship of each event.

Dorna took another shot at persuading BMW shortly after Suzuki pulled out at the end of 2022. Reportedly, BMW were offered Suzuki's entire MotoGP program (bikes, trucks, equipment) for free, if they agreed to enter MotoGP. BMW declined again.

Dropping a hint?

Rumors of a BMW entry into MotoGP persist. Speculation was reignited on the basis of comments by new BMW Motorrad CEO Markus Flasch in an interview with preeminent German magazine Motorrad. In a long interview about the current state of the Bavarian manufacturer, and the importance of the new flagship R1300GS launched earlier this year, Flasch was asked about MotoGP.

Paul Trevathan On Pedro Acosta: "I Call Him An Old Soul In A Young Body"

By David Emmett |

Pedro Acosta's debut in the MotoGP class is one of the most anticipated events of the 2024 MotoGP season. The 19-year-old Spaniard made a devastating impact in his rookie season in Moto3, got off to a tricky start in Moto2 - "In my first year in Moto2, maybe I wasn't 100% conscious about what was going to come," Acosta told me at Sepang - then cruised to the Moto2 crown in his second season.

Acosta is a rare talent, and is universally tipped to do well in MotoGP. He was quick in Valencia, less than seven tenths behind the new record set by Pecco Bagnaia at the Sepang test, and just over a second slower than Bagnaia in Qatar. He beat his teammate in both tests, and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Jack Miller at Sepang. He kept an illustrious list of riders behind him at both tests.

A promising start, but testing is not racing. The man charged with guiding him through his MotoGP debut is veteran crew chief Paul Trevathan. The New Zealander, based for many years in The Netherlands, was previously crew chief to Pol Espargaro, and was partnered with Acosta by KTM, as the best person to nurture Acosta's immense talent in the premier class.

At Sepang, I interviewed Trevathan about how the process had gone so far. We had a fascinating conversation on how quickly Acosta was adapting to MotoGP, the process of getting a rookie up to speed in MotoGP, and building a relationship with a teenage MotoGP star.

KTM's Pit Beirer And Francesco Guidotti On Testing, Tire Pressures, Aerodynamics, And The Future Of MotoGP

By David Emmett |

On Monday, the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team launched its 2024 livery. The paint scheme was the least interesting part of the presentation. It was, after all, pretty much identical to the livery used in the 2023 season. Given that very little has changed about the project, in terms of sponsors and team organization, there was no need for a revolution.

After the launch, team manager Francesco Guidotti and Pierer Mobility Group Motorsport Director Pit Beirer spoke to journalists about the goals of the team for 2024, how testing was going, and in the case of Beirer, looking ahead to the new MotoGP regulations due to be introduced in 2027. Much will change when the new set of technical regulations come into force in 2027. And some changes could be introduced earlier.

But first, Guidotti and Beirer talked about how the Sepang test had gone for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team. Ahead of the 2023 MotoGP season, there wasn’t much of a sense of where KTM stood. After Sepang, to outside observers, it looked like KTM were in much better shape going into 2024.

KTM Motorsport Director Pit Beirer On The State Of MotoGP, The 2027 Technical Rules, And 2024 WildCards

By David Emmett |

At the launch of the Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 team of Pedro Acosta and Augusto Fernandez, journalists were given a chance to talk to Pit Beirer, Motorsport Director of the Pierer Mobility Group, the umbrella organization which runs KTM, GASGAS, Husqvarna, and the other brands run out of KTM's Austrian headquarters.

Beirer was keen to talk about his hopes for the team and its riders, but he also gave an insight into the current state of MotoGP, and the new rules which are to be introduced from 2027 onward, as well as how the new concessions system will work for KTM.

I asked Beirer how he felt about where MotoGP is at the moment. Beirer was very positive overall, though he said KTM had concerns with the increasing pressure from 22 rounds and sprint races. "The championship I feel is great, otherwise we would not be here, and we enjoy it a lot," Beirer told us. "The sprint races came on board, it doubled the amount of races, but we really love it, because we think we give this extra to the public and the spectators to the race so early, and everybody at home watches racing on Saturday rather than a qualifying practice."

KTM Technical Guru Sebastian Risse, On Horsepower Vs Aero, Changing Design Targets, And Giving Riders What They Need

By David Emmett |

There were very few pundits giving KTM much of a chance at the start of the 2023 MotoGP season. The RC16 had not made much of an impression at the Sepang and Portimão tests. At Sepang, Pol Espargaro was the fastest of the RC16 riders, the GasGas Tech3 man 13th 0.9 behind fastest rider Luca Marini. At Portimão, Brad Binder led the Austrian charge in 9th, half a second off the quickest man Pecco Bagnaia.

How wrong we all were. Brad Binder has won two sprint races, and Binder and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Jack Miller have a handful of podiums between them, Binder missing out on another couple of podiums at Assen thanks to track limits infractions. Binder is fourth in the championship, and KTM are second in the manufacturers' standings.

That big step in performance has come from adapting to the way that MotoGP has changed in the past couple of years. The RC16 is stressing the front tire less, and is able to turn and brake better as a result. KTM found a way to address the radical changes the sport has seen, with aerodynamic and ride-height devices altering the way the bikes behave, and how they use the tires.

At Assen, I spoke to KTM's Technical Director of MotoGP, Sebastian Risse about how the project has changed over the years. Risse has been with the project since the start, and has built up a deep understanding of what it takes to make a MotoGP bike competitive over the years.

GasGas To Join MotoGP With Tech3, Pol Espargaro Confirmed For 2023

By David Emmett |

GasGas, the iconic Spanish motorcycle brand bought by the Pierer Mobility Group and KTM, is to enter MotoGP with the Tech3 team. From 2023, Tech3 will become the GasGas Factory Racing Team, with Pol Espargaro confirmed as one of their riders. The team will compete with factory-backed KTM RC16s branded under the GasGas name.

Although GasGas will be competing under their own name, this does not mean that they will be regarded as a new manufacturer under MotoGP regulations. For the purposes of the rules, GasGas will be treated as KTM. That means they will not have concessions, have the same engine homologation and testing rules as KTM. They will also have no representation in the MSMA, KTM remaining the representative for the Pierer Mobility Group brands.

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