KTM has denied speculation that Red Bull could step in and pull it out of its current financial troubles, while at the same time reiterating that it remains committed to competing in MotoGP.
The Austrian manufacturer is in the midst of a major crisis and is seeking at least €100 million to stay afloat in 2025.
Job cuts have been rampant, with another 280-300 employees set to lose their jobs at its site in Upper Austria by the end of the year. The company will switch from two shifts to just one next year, while also pausing production in January and February.
The management is working hard on a solution and talks with banks are ongoing.
Amid the search for additional funding, Austrian newspaper Salzburger Nachrichten had reported that Red Bull co-owner Mark Mateschitz could help KTM financially in its fight for survival. It further said that talks had already taken place between the management of the two companies.
Mateschitz, heir of Red Bull co-founder Dietrich, and KTM boss Stefan Pierer know each other very well. A company jointly owned by Mateschitz, Pierer and Raiffeisen Oberosterreich recently acquired a 50.1 per cent stake in Austrian fire service supplier Rosenbauer.
However, KTM’s parent company Pierer Mobility AG has now released a statement to deny claims that Red Bull will rescue the struggling bike maker.
“In response to the newspaper reports, Pierer Mobility makes it clear that there are no discussions about Mark Mateschitz joining Pierer Mobility and KTM,” it said.
Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Amid its financial troubles, Pierer Mobility Group’s wide-reaching motorsport programmes have already seen some impact. Notably, Husqvarna’s withdrawal has left the Intact GP without any financial support from the brand in Moto2 and Moto3, while KTM’s presence in the 2025 Dakar Rally has been reduced to just three riders.
These changes are part of a new strategy at Pierer Mobility, which is now focusing on promoting its primary brand KTM in motorsport. It’s for the same reason why GasGas will disappear from MotoGP in 2025, with the KTM branding returning on Tech3’s RC16 bikes.
However, even as the company chases additional funding, there is no threat to KTM’s involvement in MotoGP, according to its motorsport chief Pit Beirer.
“We will stay in all the series we are in,” Beirer told the Salzburger Nachrichten. “Whatever we do, we do with 100 per cent.”
“But the focus is now entirely on Orange [KTM]. In some series, we are currently represented with three times the effort.
“Our junior program, which begins with the Rookies Cup, is also not at risk. Our partners and sponsors are supporting us in this difficult phase.”
Having joined MotoGP in 2017, KTM’s goal is to step up its game and fight for victories and world championships on a regular basis.
It’s why the MotoGP project remains untouched, according to Beirer.
“Motorsport and the company’s success over the last 20 years are directly linked,” said Beirer.
“We are the company’s best marketing tool. The company has had linear growth for over 20 years. We won races and then sold motorcycles. That’s the secret of success.”
“We are ‘Ready to Race’ and we do not engage in motorsport as an end in itself. We are now in a very difficult phase and we, as the motorsport department, will do our part to stabilize the company.
“We are part of the family and we have to stick together now. We also learned to fight in sport. We give the company everything we have and will get through this together.”
KTM has claimed five grand prix victories since its entry into the series, with its last success coming at the 2022 Thailand Grand Prix while having also won two sprint races since then.
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