KTM, the Austrian automobile manufacturer, is set to take part in the MotoGP World Championship to be held in the year 2017. Stefan Pierer, Chief Executive Officer at KTM, made an official announcement regarding the same and also conveyed that a newly designed machine, featuring a V4 engine, called the KTM RC16 will be introduced.
According to sources, KTM RC6 is going to make its debut in May 2015 and is set to go for testing later in the year. Interestingly, the firm, though non-committal on the issue, has not ruled a possible wild card entry for the KTM RC16 in the 2016 season. Apart from KTM introducing a new racing bike and making a return to MotoGP, there is a good news for all aficionados as the firm will manufacture a hundred of these and offer it to the public for sale. Industry experts feel that this move by KTM will further increase its popularity. In all likelihood, the bike will be powered by a V4 engine with a rough displacement in the region of 1000 cc, making around 200 BHP, encompassed in a steel trellis frame along with WP suspension pieces.
A lot has gone on in the past pertaining to KTM and its participation in MotoGP. The Austrian firm had cited issues related to budgeting and did not participate in the most coveted bike race on earth. However, KTM’s return to the championships is great news for the competition in general and adds to the handful of new automakers taking interest. Suzuki, the Japanese bike giant, will make its return to the racing circuit in the year 2015 while Aprilia is set to feature in the Open Class entry machine based on the RSVS in the coming season. Many experts believe that seeing this sort of progress, Kawasaki might be tempted to make the cut as well.
Though KTM is going to be a part of the MotoGP in the 2017 season, it is not going to put in a factory team. Instead of that, KTM, just like its participation in Moto3, will supply bikes to big private teams and collaborate with them for development and support. A number of bike racing lovers all over the world will be looking forward to seeing that participation of KTM in MotoGP in coming years.
