Published: 17 Jun 2024
'Next Step' - KTM's 2025 MotoGP Structure Laid Out by Pit Beirer
Pit Beirer talks about KTM’s newest signings and their revamped 2025 MotoGP structure. The ‘next step’ will be quite a big one for the Austrian manufacturer.
On Thursday, KTM officially confirmed that it had reached an agreement with Maverick Vinales and Enea Bastianini for the 2025 and 2026 MotoGP seasons.
“If you look at the facts, our riders are the next step in the project to bring our whole package forward,” says KTM Head of Motorsport Beirer.
“Maverick won in America and with what Enea showed in Mugello – you can see the quality of these guys.”
Vinales’ change is particularly surprising given his recent success on the Aprilia. The MotoGP rider market went head over heels following the Italian Grand Prix and Ducati’s decision to sign Marc Marquez.
Following Jorge Martin’s leap of faith over to the factory Aprilia, Maverick Vinales was quick to sign the contract with KTM.
“Ever since he became world champion on a KTM [back in 2013], contact with Maverick [Vinales] never really stopped,” says Beirer.
“There was this moment when we met and spoke about the future. He gave us the feeling that he wanted to be with us and I felt a very strong commitment right from the get-go.”
It was also a positive surprise for us that he was really open to us and meant it because in Aprilia he already has a great team and bike at the moment.“
Revamped Tech3 branding and four factory riders?
Next year, the Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 team will have a new look and name. The team will be re-branded back to Red Bull KTM Tech3, returning to orange and complementing the Red Bull KTM Racing team on track.
“With our project, I find it difficult talking to a top rider, ‘is it a GASGAS, is it a KTM, what is the difference between the bikes?’”
“In 2023 we decided it was a great time to show different brands but now we feel the project is strongest if it’s a line-up with four Red Bull KTM riders.”
As for Maverick Vinales and Enea Bastianini, the two will ride the newest-spec RC-16s in 2025 as KTM’s third and fourth factory riders while the GASGAS-red team they joined will rebrand back to a likely orange-black KTM team.
