KTM Reaffirms MotoGP Commitment As Work On 2025 Bike Kicks Off Imminently

Saajan Jogia | 20 Hours Ago

Apr 13, 2024; Austin, TX, USA; Brad Binder (33) of South Africa and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rides during practice for the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas at Circuit of The Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

KTM technical chief Wolfgang Felber has reaffirmed KTM's commitment to its MotoGP project by stating that the team will start putting together its 2025 bike, the KTM RC16, next week for the upcoming pre-season test in Sepang on the 5th, 6th, and 7th of February.

KTM is going through a restructuring process to avoid bankruptcy as a result of a financial crisis with debts exceeding €2.9 billion. Fortunately, a recent creditors' hearing brought cautious optimism, allowing the restructuring to continue with potential external investments of up to €700 million.

While KTM affirmed its MotoGP presence despite its huge spending on the project, the creditors' hearing revealed that KTM would withdraw from the sport by the end of the 2026 season. This led to confusion over KTM's future in MotoGP and raised concerns about its potential exit from the sport.

Now though, Felber has reassured that the team is about to begin work on the 2025 bike, thereby stressing the Austrian manufacturer's presence in the sport. He told the German publication Speedweek:

“As far as preparations for the new season are concerned, everything is currently going as normal.

“In recent years we have trimmed all processes so that we build the new machines in the third week of the year.

“It will be the same in 2025. Next Monday we will start rebuilding all the motorcycles.

“Everything is timed so that at the end of week three we pack the boxes for the big test in Sepang.

“From then on the bikes are on the road for a long time. The vehicles will only arrive in Munderfing again for the European season opener in Jerez.”

Felber confirmed that KTM's 2025 bike "worked as hoped" during the post-season test and described it as an "evolutionary model" with differences in ergonomics. He added:

“We are clearly talking about an evolutionary model in 2025.

“A radical new approach was out of the question. We already had our actual shakedown during the last tests in 2024.

“The 2025 version worked as hoped and the basis has been defined. The plan now is to build all machines accordingly with new parts.

“There are differences in the ergonomics, which are different for all riders, as well as in the solutions for operating the rear brake.

“We can also take over some existing parts with low mileage. It doesn't make sense to throw away a handlebar stub that is only a few kilometres.”

When asked about the current mood within the team at KTM, Felber gave a positive reply. He said:

"We are in racing. We have our brains, our computers and our motivation. The very last thing we think about is giving up."