New structure designed to carry riders from Moto3 through to MotoGP.
Image: Supplied.
KTM and Red Bull will maintain their partnership with Ajo Motorsport in the 2020 Moto2 World Championship despite the Austrian brand recently withdrawing as a chassis manufacturer in the intermediate category.
The objective for the structure will continue to be training young talents, accompanying them in their formative years in the Moto3 class and preparing them all the way for the leap up to MotoGP through work in the Moto2 class. The structure will aim to be in the world championship title fight in both classes in 2020.
The project maintains its focus also in the intermediate class, where next season it will run two young talents – Jorge Martin, the team’s current rider, and Iker Lecuona. The squad will use a different chassis package with the KTM MotoGP Academy riders.
“I am very happy to have such a strong project in place for next year in the intermediate class,” said Aki Ajo, Ajo Motorsport team owner. “Jorge Martin and Iker Lecuona are without a doubt two great young talents. We have spent three years working together with KTM and Red Bull in the Moto2 class, achieving success together, and that is why it is important to continue to cooperate closely.
“We are also really enthusiastic to say that we have a strong package for the 2020 season to work with our young talents and develop them towards stepping up to the MotoGP class. Same with the Moto3, where we continue our co-operation with KTM and Red Bull, and the work of building up young talents towards MotoGP, especially now that KTM will put even more focus on the technical development for MotoGP and Moto3 classes.
“With the new focal stepping points and strategy, we aim to the very top positions in both classes, including with the Moto3 project, where we’ve developed future talents in the past years. We will now take the next step and come back into the eorld championship title fight.”
KTM motorsport manager Pit Beirer added: “At our home grand prix in Austria we announced our amended road racing strategy with the main headline that we extend our MotoGP commitment for another five years (seven from now on). This is a very strong commitment to MotoGP and also for the Moto3 category.
“Our main goal – to be a reliable partner for young and promising riders on their way from Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup into MotoGP through our teams and our guidance – stays unchanged. We are really happy to have such young talents as Jorge Martin and Iker Lecuona in our KTM MotoGP Academy to follow riders such as Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder. For this project we are counting heavily on our long term partner Aki Ajo and his team.
“KTM will continue supporting him on this path with the difference that we are stepping out of Moto2 as a chassis manufacturer. With this step, we underline an even stronger commitment to Moto3, in which we rely on our own complete motorcycle, and pushing with a lot of effort towards making up the missing gap that brings our MotoGP project to absolute success.
“With this realignment, we have to express gratitude to Aki Ajo and his entire team for the great partnership. We are looking forward to continuing a successful long term cooperation.”
KTM’s new focus on the MotoGP World Championship will also see the Husqvarna brand return to grand prix racing in the Moto3 division.
Source: CycleOnline.com.au