KTM CEO SAYS COMPANY WILL NOT SELL ITS MOTO GP TEAM AFTER RETURNING TO PROFIT

KTM’s MotoGP future is no longer up for sale, according to the company’s chief executive Gottfried Neumeister, who has moved to quash speculation that the manufacturer might reduce its commitment to racing after a difficult financial period.

Speaking at the Red Bull Ring, Neumeister said KTM has signed a new five-year agreement with Dorna for the upcoming 850cc era and that this underpins a firm decision: “We’ve signed the five-year deal with Dorna [for the new 850cc era], it’s very clear we will not sell the team, we will not sell a little part of the team, we’re fully committed.” He added that MotoGP remains one of the few major titles KTM has not yet won, saying: “The MotoGP title is one of the few titles we have not yet won.”

The comments come after KTM’s 2025 financial crisis, when the company was described as “burning cash,” creating pressure on motorsport spending and triggering questions about whether the MotoGP project could be sustained—or even opened to outside investment. Neumeister acknowledged that uncertainty was real, recalling that a year earlier there were doubts about whether KTM could continue motorsport at all: “A year ago, there was the question, ‘Mr Neumeister, will you be able to even sustain motorsport?’”

He said the company’s turnaround has since changed the picture. KTM returned to profit, and Neumeister pointed to strong early-year performance, noting that the firm sold almost 100,000 motorcycles in the first half of the year. “In the second quarter, we managed to break even on EBIT level,” he said, describing the return to profits as “really a great sign, great relief.”

Neumeister framed motorsport as central to KTM’s identity and development approach, not just a marketing exercise. “Motorsport as a whole, not only MotoGP, but the successes we were able to deliver also in those difficult times, winning the Dakar, winning already six World Championship titles - and the season is not over - is really encouraging,” he said. He then underlined the role of racing as a “test lab,” adding: “Motorsport is our DNA, it’s our test lab. Whatever we learn here, we can then translate into our series production.”

With MotoGP positioned as KTM’s most expensive motorsport activity, Neumeister said the key challenge during the crisis was proving the business case for continuing. He described how the company needed to show that racing success could translate into sales and brand value: “Proving how it translates into sales, how it translates into brand equity, was the most important thing.” He argued that winning on Sunday and selling on Monday is the model that works, saying: “We were really able to show winning on Sunday, selling on Monday is really something that works for the company and translates.”

Neumeister also addressed the internal logic behind the budget and the freedom required to compete. He said that if engineering resources are constantly constrained, performance suffers, and he expressed sympathy for the riders caught in the wider corporate situation. “I really need to say it, and my CFO will hate me for it, but if you want to race, you need to have the generosity,” he said. He added that if a technical lead asks for development, the team cannot simply cut corners to save money: “If Pit [Beirer] comes and says, ‘I have an aerodynamics guy,’ you cannot say, ‘and now try to save something.’ Then you cannot win.”

On the human side, Neumeister said the riders were not to blame for the difficulties. “I have really great sympathy for our riders. It was not their fault, and it was not their thing, it was our own KTM thing which we had to solve.”

The CEO also referenced the broader ownership context, noting that after Bajaj took a controlling 75% stake in KTM, the company needed to demonstrate a clear rationale for continuing motorsport programmes. With the business now recovering and the MotoGP commitment secured through the Dorna deal, Neumeister said KTM can focus again on racing rather than uncertainty.

Looking ahead, KTM confirmed it will field an all-new MotoGP line-up for the start of the 850cc/Pirelli era in 2027: Alex Marquez and Fabio di Giannantonio at the factory team, with Luca Marini alongside rookie Senna Agius at Tech3.