Defiant KTM to begin building 2025 MotoGP bikes despite money headache

KTM technical chief Wolfgang Felber says “everything is currently going as normal” regarding KTM’s preparations for the 2025 MotoGP season.

The Austrian firm faces an uncertain future in MotoGP as the company navigates its way through a financial crisis, which triggered a restructuring process.

A report from the first creditors hearing also stated that a withdrawal from grand prix racing is “planned” for KTM, though it will carry on as normal in 2025.

KTM’s racing division has also been acting on a 100-point plan to cut spending amid the company’s current financial troubles, which includes scaling back its factory involvement in various disciplines.

For 2025, it will field four factory KTMs in MotoGP spread across its works team and Tech3 for Pedro Acosta, Brad Binder, Maverick Vinales and Enea Bastianini.

In an interview with German publication Speedweek, Felber offered a positive development on KTM’s 2025 preparations.

“As far as preparations for the new season are concerned, everything is currently going as normal,” he said.

“In recent years we have trimmed all processes so that we build the new machines in the third week of the year.

“It will be the same in 2025. Next Monday we will start rebuilding all the motorcycles.

“Everything is timed so that at the end of week three we pack the boxes for the big test in Sepang.

“From then on the bikes are on the road for a long time. The vehicles will only arrive in Munderfing again for the European season opener in Jerez.”

There have been rumours already that KTM will not carry out any development on its 2025 bike due to its ongoing financial crisis.

While Felber stops short of admitting this, he notes the 2025 prototype “worked as hoped” in testing last year and “has been defined” as the base bike.

“We are clearly talking about an evolutionary model in 2025,” he added.

“A radical new approach was out of the question. We already had our actual shakedown during the last tests in 2024.

“The 2025 version worked as hoped and the basis has been defined. The plan now is to build all machines accordingly with new parts.

“There are differences in the ergonomics, which are different for all riders, as well as in the solutions for operating the rear brake.

“We can also take over some existing parts with low mileage. It doesn't make sense to throw away a handlebar stub that is only a few kilometres.”