Tech3 to switch to KTM

The deal will see Tech3 riders on a KTM RC16 that’s the same spec as the factory bikes, not year-old machinery like they got with Yamaha. And while Poncharal concedes that the RC16 is currently not up to the performance of the 2017-spec YZR-M1 ridden by Johann Zarco and Hafizh Syahrin this season, the promise of factory parity for the satellite team - and the ongoing development that comes with that parity - was a deciding factor.

Poncharal also cited the general upward trend of improvement in the RC16 in MotoGP following its debut last year, as well as the success that the Austrian marque has achieved in Moto3 and Moto2. Tech3 becomes the first KTM satellite team in MotoGP and ends an association with Yamaha that goes back to when they first joined the premier class in 2001

Tech3 is also expected to start the 2019 season without the Monster Energy livery that has almost become the team’s trademark. Given KTM’s close links to rival company Red Bull, it’s unlikely the current sponsorship deal will continue into next year. Pit Beirer, KTM’s Motorsport Director, welcomed Tech3 to the firm and believes that the association will make KTM an even stronger force in the MotoGP paddock.

“The [Tech3] team has many years of experience and achieved a lot of great results in this championship. Their professional structure will make us even stronger. Having four KTM RC16 [bikes] on the grid is also another big step for us.” Beirer added that there is now “a clear path to the top” for young riders with KTM, suggesting that the factory Moto2 and Moto3 operations, as well as the Red Bull Rookies Cup, will not be culled to support the expanded MotoGP program.

In its debut MotoGP season last year, KTM’s best race finish was a ninth place for Pol Espargaro (at Brno and Phillip Island). At the season opening Qatar round this year, Bradley Smith finished in 18th place and Espargaro retired. Yamaha will have a satellite team in 2012 in the form of Valentino Rossi’s Yamaha-supported Sky VR46 squad, but whether another outfit will fill the 2019-2020 gap before VR46 step up to the premier class has yet to be revealed.