The factory team, whose colours were defended by Brad Binder and Jack Miller, did not live up to the expectations of the brand's management, including Pit Beirer. Asked about this difficult campaign during the Grand Prix de la Solidarité, the KTM Motorsports director did not hide his disappointment. The latter was hoping for victories, but had to settle for podiums.
“I have to be honest, our expectations were a little higher. Especially for Brad and Jack, the latter confided in remarks relayed by the official website of the discipline. We had our ups and downs. We had a really tough summer. But at least we managed to stabilise the situation and get some decent results."
Looking back, we had six podiums on Saturday and six on Sunday, He continues. We are the second best manufacturer, so it's great. But of course we thought we would be closer to the guys from Ducati, who have done a fantastic job again this year. We have to congratulate them for what they are doing, but we keep fighting, and learning."
New weapons in 2025
Pit Beirer remains optimistic for the future. The factory he represents will be able to count on the arrival of Pedro Acosta in its official structure, after the impressive campaign carried out by the rookie in the satellite team of the firm, Tech3. A client structure itself strengthened by the arrivals of Enea Bastianini and Maverick Vinales.
Red Bull KTM will be able to rely on Aki Ajo's methods to renew itself. The Finn replacing Francesco Guidotti as Team Manager, and former director of the eponymous team, linked to the KTM fold, in Moto2 and Moto3. So many signings whose impact on track performance he is happy to see.
“I always want to look at the glass as half full, not half empty. And I think we are in a good position from a sporting point of view for next season, with the new riders on board. We have learned a lot about our bike in the last few weeks. That is important.” adds Pit Beirer.
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“I don’t want to sound terrible by saying this, but I’m really happy that Francesco is leaving KTM as a friend. Unfortunately, we haven’t had the success we wanted for many small reasons. We also made the decision for Aki because he’s a man who works very closely with the riders. I think he can give them great advice on what to do on the track.”
KTM places its full trust in Ajo
Especially since Aki Ajo knows the two drivers who will be racing in Orange next year well, having taken Brad Binder and Pedro Acosta to the title in other classes of the world championship.
“We think Aki is perhaps one of the strongest in this field, and he has always had the ability to develop champions for us. Both of these guys know him very well and are looking forward to working with him. He has made them champions before.
We trust Aki. But again, I want to thank Francesco for giving his all until the last day. As I said, I am really happy that he is leaving us as a friend, and who knows what the future holds for us." concludes Pit Beirer.
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