Why KTM chose ‘strong riders’ over ‘schooling project’ for MotoGP 2025
‘It was a clear decision to go f꧂or results and not for another schooling program, but also, honestly, I don't se🐬e that next guy ready [in Moto2]’.
Since Tech3 joined forces with KTM in 2019, the Austrian factory has placed six rookies at Herve Poncharal’s team: Miguel Oliveira (2019), Iker Lecuona (2020), Raul Fernandez (2021), Remy Gardner (2021), 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Augusto Fernandez (2022) and now 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Pedro Acosta (2023).
Tech3’s current Fernandez-Acosta line-up began the year with a combined age of just 45, combined MotoGP experience💙 of only one season and no𒆙 MotoGP podiums.
But thoꦫse stats will change dramatically for 2025.
The new Maverick Vinales and Enea Bastianini line-up will offer a combined age of 57, combined MotoGP experience of 14 years and - at present - combined 15 MotoGP wins and 47 podium🌊s (across Yamaha, Aprilia, Suzuki and Ducati machinery).
To put the scale of that shift into perspective, the future factory KTM team of Brad Binder and Acosta currently has a combined total of 2 MotoGP wins ♔and 13 podiums (KTM machin🅰ery).
“Now it's clear we cannot offer a young talඣent a place [in MotoGP] for🧔 the next two years,” confirmed KTM motorsport director Pit Beirer, in the aftermath of the Vinales and Bastianini deals.
Acosta is the third suꦓccessive Moto2 champion to join MotoGP with KTM after Gardner and Augusto Fernandez, but the only one to finish on the podium and lead the RC16 challenge in the standings.
“If you ask me for my wish, of course, it would be always to have riders coming from our own ‘Acade♈my’ up there 🍬and competitive," Beirer added.
“[But] you see how complex MotoGP is, how difficult it is. You definitely need an outstanding rookie, then it makes sense toꦓ go straight into MotoGP.
"That's what Pedro has proven, that it's po🐻ssible.
“But also we had struggles [in the past]. Even a Moto2 world champion can have a reall🅰y hard time🅺 going into MotoGP.
“If you looked into 𝓰the total investment of the MotoGP class, take a budget of. many, many millions and divide it by four. Every rider package is a multi-million package…
“And I feel you just don't get tꦉhe 🌄time anymore in MotoGP to say ‘OK, let's make a kind of schooling project’.
“It’s super important to perforꦛm. And not just for publicity reasons. Also for the 🎐quality of the whole team.
"You n🐬eed four strong riders even to have [one] winning rider in the g꧑roup [because] you need data immediately from Friday morning to make the next step for second practice.
“So we just felt more comfortable to take GP winners and push the whole project, push each other.&n🍷bsp;
"I think Pedro and Brad are also going to benefit from two more strong ridꦺers.
“So☂ it was a clear decision to go for results and not for another schooling program, but also, honestly, I don't see that next guy ready.
“If the next guy would be the next Pedro, ready in our Moto2 project to make the jump, for sure we would take him immediately. But we don't see that th𓃲ey are ready for next year or the year after.
“So we had to go for rider quality.”
The new Red Bull KTM Ajo ൩Moto2 line-up of Celestino Vietti and rookie Deniz Oncu ꦗare currently 10th and 23rd in the standings.
Fermin Aldeguer is the only Moto2 rider currently confirmed as💝♐ joining MotoGP next season, with a TBA Ducati seat.
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