Red Bull KTM, Tech3 announce 2022 MotoGP launch date

The Red Bull KTM and Tech3 KTM teams will unveil their 2022 MotoGP livery on January 27.

The virtual launch will feature KTM's four riders - Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira at the factory team and rookies Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez at Tech3 - as well as new factory team manager Francesco Guidotti.

Guidotti, who is replacing Mike Leitner, arrives at KTM after guiding Pramac Ducati to its first MotoGP victory (Jorge Martin) and best championship position (Johann Zarco) last season.

KTM followed up its opening three MotoGP wins in 2020 with two more victories last year, but wasn't a consistent challenger at the front during its first season without access to technical concessions.

Binder eventually finished sixth overall, but Oliveira slipped back to 14th after a nightmare second half of the season.

While the factory team line-up is unchanged, Moto2 champion Gardner (currently recovering from a wrist fracture during motocross training) and title runner-up Fernandez are replacing Danilo Petrucci and Iker Lecuona at Tech3.

Having lost Red Bull as a title sponsor at the end of 2020, Tech3 used bright orange 'ready to race' KTM colours last season.

KTM's RC16 is the only bike on the grid to use a steel trellis frame (rather than aluminium) and in-house WP suspension (rather than Ohlins).

As rookies, the Tech3 riders can take to the track for the first time in 2022 at the Sepang Shakedown test from January 31 - February 2.

The Red Bull team will join them during the following Official Sepang test from February 5-6.

KTM will be the first of the Factory teams to hold its 2022 presentation, followed by Suzuki and Yamaha on February 4, Ducati on February 7 (postponed from January 28 due to Jack Miller's positive Covid test), Honda on February 8 and Aprilia (which in the past has waited until Qatar) still TBC.