2025 Supercross is Coming Soon

A storm is brewing!

Where Does KTM Go?

So, what happens now?

The future of KTM AG will be decided over the next three months. Already, the company is reducing headcount and announced plans to pause production in January and February, but there’s no way to know whether these, and any other measures, will be enough to keep the company afloat.

Other than that, it’s been business as usual, with KTM announcing several new and updated models over the last few months, plus the adoption of new technologies such as  automatic manual transmissions

 radar-backed safety aids and tablet-sized infotainment screens (having 21% of your workforce working in R&D will do that). Whether these innovations will pay off will play a role in KTM’s fate.

 

ktm ag enters self administration to restructure debt

Things can turn around quickly if KTM manages to find a new investor. As of Oct. 11, Pierer Mobility ownership consisted of 25.0% in free flat shares and 74.9% controlled by Pierer Bajaj, which in turn is owned by Pierer Industrie (50.1%) and Bajaj (49.9%). Bajaj is an obvious candidate to step in with a larger investment, but if that was easily achievable, it probably would have happened already.

 

Photo by Rob Gray (Polarity Photos).

Red Bull has been a longtime partner in KTM’s motorsports programs, leading to speculation last week that the energy drink company’s owner, Mark Mateschitz may step in. Pierer Mobility was quick to shut that rumor down, releasing a statement on Friday denying any discussions with Mateschitz about acquiring a stake.

Of course, that leads us to the question of whether KTM’s racing efforts will go under the knife. GasGas is already ending its MXGP and MX2 and MotoGP factory programs, while both GasGas and Husqvarna are pulling out of rally racing. The KTM brand itself will continue in MotoGP and rally racing, Red Bull continue to provide sponsorship support, without any indication it intends to do more.

Barring a savior suddenly entering the picture, we’ll have to wait and see what Pierer and Neumeister can do to avoid bankruptcy.

Latest on KTM $$$

Near-Bankrupt KTM Owes $3 Billion, 'Pauses' MotoGP Program

Bradley Brownell

Mon, December 2, 2024

 

Photo: KTM

Austrian motorcycle giant and maker of the X-Bow sports car KTM is on the verge of bankruptcy and will begin a “self-administration” restructuring process to avoid dissolution. A big part of the company’s big money-saving efforts will see the MotoGP effort on the chopping block. KTM, which also owns motorcycle manufacturer Husqvarna and has a majority share ownership in MV Agusta and GasGas, says it will continue to race in MotoGP in 2025, simply tightening the purse strings and pausing race bike development, though there are concerns within the MotoGP paddock that the four-bike team will not show up next season.

Owing three billion dollars is a big hurdle to overcome for the motorcycle manufacturer and race team. How did it come to this? Well, across the first half of 2024 the company saw a huge 27 percent dip in sales and revenue. It does not seem that sales have improved for the brand over the second half of 2024, still in progress.

“Over the past three decades, we have grown to become Europe’s largest motorcycle manufacturer. We inspire millions of motorcycle riders around the world with our products,” says Stefan Pierer, chief executive officer of KTM AG. “Now we are taking a pit stop for the future. The KTM brand is my life’s work, and I will fight for it.”

“The enthusiasm of our employees is our most important competitive advantage,” says Gottfried Neumeister, co-CEO. “Their passion is the reason why KTM is globally synonymous with peak performance. We build our motorcycles reliably and robustly for every race, for every terrain. Now it’s about making the company robust. Robust for the future. So that we can quickly focus again on what we do best: building the coolest motorcycles in the world.”

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KTM posted record sales and profits across 2023, shifting 381,555 units worldwide and grossing $2.73B. The company had just signed a historic distribution and manufacturing deal with China’s CFMoto, and purchased most of MV Agusta. KTM expected continued growth in 2024, but interest rates remained higher than expected for longer than expected resulting in huge sales drops across the U.S. and Europe. Dealer inventory stacked up as KTM’s huge growth plan imploded around it, resulting in big discounts and longer payment terms driving down revenue. KTM’s sales decline is expected to continue while operating costs continue to rise.

Pierer Mobility, KTM’s parent company, has begun implementing a plan for the motorcycle and bicycle brands to continue without bankruptcy. By Austrian law the company has 90 days from the moment of announcement to come to an agreement with its lenders or face a forced restructuring. There are four key things KTM can act upon between now and February to keep itself in business: lay off a bunch of employees, reduce production by 25 percent to clear dealer inventory, streamline motorcycle R&D, and re-evaluate its bicycle division.

It isn’t just KTM’s racing efforts under the microscope, of course. Spanish brand GasGas is ending its MXGP, MX2, and MotoGP factory programs, and both GasGas and Husqvarna are pulling out of cross-country rally racing. KTM’s racing program, supported by Red Bull, will allegedly continue to exist, but for how long, and at what level?

Eli Tomac Adds Another Championship!

Tomac Tops Abu Dhabi WSX

Race One: The first race was madness. It was Vince Friese who got the holeshot and leading on the first lap. It was all going on behind him. Roczen was on the move but then was too impatient and hit the side of Friese. Savatgy was a bit more patient and got into the lead but then crashed. Tomac got a bad start but all of a sudden was ahead of Roczen but then the German passed him on the last lap. Friese held on to take an impressive win!

Race Two: It was Savatgy who took the holeshot with Friese sat in second. He had Roczen and Tomac right behind him but this time Friese had nothing for them as the pair quickly got into second and third. Savatgy had another crash – that was twice he has crashed out the lead. Roczen rode well to keep Tomac behind him at a track that’s very hard to pass on.

Race Three: It was Roczen with the holeshot but he had Savatgy and Tomac for close company. Savatgy was riding really well but just couldn’t quite get close enough to try and make a pass for the lead. With a lap to go on the final corner, Savatgy went straight on and went off the track. He can’t seem to have a race without any error but he is riding well – his mistake dropped him to third with Tomac up to second.  Breece had a great ride for fourth.

Superfinal: Tomac got the holeshot and cleared off at the front to clinch the WSX title in style. Savatgy was second before Roczen made a nice pass but by the time he got into second, Tomac was gone at the front. Roczen did enough to win the overall at the finale round.

Ryan Dungey A Class Act!

THE GENTLEMAN OF MODERN AMERICAN MOTOCROSS...Ryan Dungey turns 35.

Ryan Dungey won 35 premier AMA Supercross events, 7 AMA Championships between Supercross and the AMA Nationals. He won the Motocross des Nations three times. At one point in his career, Ryan stood on the podium for 31 consecutive Supercross events. From 2008 to 2017, Ryan finished in the top three in 18 of the 19 Championships he competed in. The one series which he didn’t make the top three in points was the 2016 AMA 450 National Motocross Championship after he suffered a fractured vertebra at the Colorado round. Although Dungey would recover from the injury to win the 2017 AMA Supercross Championship, he retired before the 2017 AMA 450 Nationals started.

But, came back to race the 2022 AMA 450 Nationals, just to see what he had left behind. Ryan was a consistent front-runner and finished the season 6th overall in the 450 class. He even got an offer from KTM to come back and race the full Supercross and National series in 2023—which he turned down because the 2022 adventure had satisfied his curiosity.

Cooper Webb Says Time Is Now

This week riders are taking a break from supercross prep to head to Angel Stadium for the SuperMotocross World Championship media days. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb was on site and spoke to the media at length about his injuries, coming close to winning the championship in 2024, and his expectations for 2025.

Last weekend [at the Australian Supercross] we saw you go down pretty heavily. So, what's the status on that?
Cooper Webb: Yeah, yeah. No, it was a great weekend. Yeah, I'm a little banged up for sure. But we got checked out yesterday and all good. No, no real injuries. Kind of some whiplash and just kind of jammed my thumb, you know, from before. I seem to always crash on my dang thumb now. So, I thought it was maybe shoulder at first but got checked out and everything's clear. Just muscle stuff, tightness. So, give it about a week, maybe less. I'm gonna try to ride on Thursday and should be good. I was at Doctor G's all day yesterday. But, yeah, like you said, there's always a risk, but there's a risk also at the Yamaha test track too, right. Every time we're on a motorcycle there's a risk. But I'm taking a lot of positives from it. I was able to win the first main event, which was great, and I felt great all weekend. So, yeah, we're healthy and in one piece and now we're five weeks from A1.

Between Paris and Australia, I feel like this pre-season, your form has been quite good, better than years past. So, is that a case of building sooner into the season? What's your take on that?
Yeah, I think there's a few things, but I think second year with the team would be a big one, right? I think I am now second year on the same bike with the same crew. No real changes on the bike for us this year. And then also with the training side, you know, I came in from Aldon’s last year and had some health stuff going on. So, I’m just kinda getting a grasp on that and coming in I was hurt all summer. So, we started training, you know, a lot sooner. Like I did nations and then kind of never took a break, which I didn't feel like I needed. So, I’m just kind of building on that and I know this year is important for me. I'm not getting any younger and I feel like I have a real opportunity to win this year, so I didn't wanna put myself at a deficit at all. I really wanted to be as strong and as fit and as fast as I could be this year. And I think we're in a good spot.

Visit Cooper Webb Has High Hopes For The 2025 Supercross Season - Racer X for rest of story

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