It’s no secret that KTM were the breakout stars of the COVID-impacted 2020 season. After joining the class in 2017, they spent their first few years working on the base of their racing machine and allowing their riders to slowly start pushing the limits of what they were capable of. Their first podium came in the wet in 2018, but other than that it was a quiet three years for the Austrian manufacturer.
Then we reached 2020. KTM arrived in Jerez with two new riders and a competitive-looking package and immediately got to work. What followed was nothing short of spectacular: 3 wins, a further 5 podiums, their first pole position and two riders in the top ten of the championship. They weren’t random results, either, as KTM bikes were regularly found in the top 8 finishers and fighting with the riders at the front. They finally had a competitive motorcycle that could go toe-to-toe with the mainstay manufacturers in the MotoGP class.
It’s a testament to both the bike and the riders on them. KTM have been working towards this point for many years now, and not just in the design department. KTM have been fostering young talent in the lower classes of the MotoGP championship for a long time now by providing competitive motorcycles in both Moto3 and Moto2. They are also the sole providers for the Red Bull Rookies Cup, one of the biggest stepladders for young riders to land their first rides in the world championship. While they have since pulled out of manufacturing Moto2 bikes, they still sponsor a team in the class run by the infamous Aki Ajo.
Ajo is known in the grand prix paddock for having an eye for young talent. He can be a ruthless taskmaster at times, and expectations are high for any rider in his squads, but he has a resume of incredibly successful riders who have ridden for him in several classes. Johann Zarco, Jorge Martin, Miguel Oliveira, Brad Binder, Jack Miller and Marc Marquez are all ex-riders of the Ajo project who have stepped up to the premier class. If one were to list the individual achievements of riders who have ridden for Ajo at any point since 2001 it would be almost unbelievable to read.
2021 has started off as one of the best years to date for the now KTM and Red Bull-backed Ajo squad. In the Moto3 class rookie rider Pedro Acosta has wowed fans across the world by winning two of his first three races in the junior class and leading the championship as we head to Jerez. His win in the Doha Grand Prix stands out as one of the single greatest rides in the history of the Moto3 category as he started the race from pit lane. His teammate Jaume Masia hasn’t been a slouch either, winning the Qatar race and currently sitting second in the championship.
In the Moto2 category it’s been much the same. Remy Gardner currently leads the championship for the Ajo squad after taking podiums in all three races of 2021 so far. He’s been linked to a MotoGP ride next season already, and looks set to remain a championship challenger throughout the year. His rookie teammate Raul Fernandez has had a sensational start to his life in Moto2 with a podium in Doha and an unbelievable win in the Portugese Grand Prix. Once again, it’s a testament to Ajo’s ability to pick and mould strong riders, and the support that KTM provides to these riders as they try to funnel strong talent into their MotoGP project.
Which would be fine, except the KTMs have had a disastrous start to 2021 in MotoGP. The Austrian manufacturer spent the entire test and first two races in Qatar chasing their tails trying to match the pace of the other manufacturers, and only a rear tyre gamble from Brad Binder stopped them from leaving the first two rounds without a top ten finish to their names. Portimao was not exactly better, as home hero Oliveira struggled to find the form that lead to his dominant win last year and the other riders failed to make a dent in qualifying. They were once again saved somewhat by Binder who took a strong fifth place in the Portugese race, but they still leave the third round without much of a claim on the championship battle.
There’s a number of factors to consider here. This is KTM’s first season without either of their original 2017 lineup, after Bradley Smith was dropped for the 2019 season and Pol Espargaro left the squad for 2021. Both Smith and Espargaro doubled as racers and test riders for several years as they tried desperately to make the bike a competitive package, and Espargaro in particular was instrumental in much of the MotoGP machine’s design. It’s also important to remember that as a concession manufacturer in 2020 KTM had more time than many of the other teams to work on their bike design for the season, and 2021 marks their first year since joining the class that they will not receive concessions.
Still, it’s a daunting situation for the Austrians, and it’s made worse by the immense success their junior and intermediate riders are having right now. The Red Bull Ajo teams are supposed to pipe talented riders from the lower classes up to the MotoGP team, and while Aki has clearly done his job and sourced some of the best young riders available right now, the MotoGP project is not showing the results one would expect from them. In the same way that the Petronas team is represented in all three classes, a person riding for the KTM squad in Moto3 or Moto2 should have the goal of maintaining that relationship and one day riding for them in the premier class.
If KTM fail to fix the issues they’re currently having in MotoGP then they may just lose riders like Fernandez and Acosta. Talented riders like these do not go unnoticed by premier class manufacturers, and the more they win the more they will find themselves with offers on the table from the likes of Ducati, Honda and Suzuki. If KTM was a competitive and viable option, then it’s likely the Ajo riders would choose to stick with the manufacturer and teams they’re already familiar with rather than risking their careers on a bigger change. Unfortunately, with the current state of affairs, it seems more likely that they would favour one of the manufacturers with a more permanent and stable history in the MotoGP class.
I am in no way discounting the calibre of riders currently employed with KTM, but the nature of MotoGP at the moment is that riders come and go in the bigger teams as their performances dictate. Stronger riders get first pickings as to which weapon they take to a particular MotoGP season, and when they start to falter in their results they get replaced by the next big young talent from the lower classes. KTM will want to keep their options open for new riders to join their ranks in their MotoGP project, and it would be great for them to simply pick out their best Moto2 and Moto3 riders. Unfortunately, if they can’t provide a competitive bike, then their options become more limited from both the junior classes and the current premier class paddock.
There’s no easy way out here for KTM. They need a competitive machine, not only to retain their current riders like Binder and Oliveira but also to cash in their gambles on the likes of Acosta and Fernandez. If they can fix their current situation, then they may very well end up with one of the most formidable lineups in MotoGP. If they can’t, then they face a very real danger of having their best and brightest poached by other teams and manufacturers. One way or another, I expect we will see even more Ajo team graduates in the premier class rather soon.
Solomon Talks Bikes 