No one can question the business acumen that Stefan Pierer has always had. In addition to his role as CEO of KTM, he is also present on various boards of directors of companies with turnovers in the millions. At the same time. It is clear that the projections and business plans have no reason to replicate in an ecosystem like the MotoGP World Championship, where the Austrian manufacturer is behind the roadmap marked by its most important boss when he decided to enter the championship in 2017.
Pierer had calculated that KTM would need a period of five years to adapt to the category, and that in the following three years it would be able to fight for the title. What is certain is that these eight years have now passed, and the formation of the orange bikes is more than ever in the grip of the whirlwind of changes that are on the horizon: a further profound shock in a season in which there were those who dared to predict a close duel with Ducati.
Motorsport.com understands that KTM bosses are discussing how they plan to re-establish the balance of power within the structure, where a major movement is expected. Francesco Guidotti, the current team manager, is packing his bags for his departure. The Italian arrived from Pramac in 2022 and, less than three years later with a contract valid until the end of 2025, he will leave his post. It remains to be seen whether this will happen at the end of the season or even before the World Championship concludes in Valencia.
Francesco Guidotti, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
His case comes after that of Fabiano Sterlacchini, who arrived in KTM in 2021 as the top technical manager and left a month ago, although his contract was in force until next month. Another figure who was on the verge of leaving the group was Alberto Giribuola, taken from Ducati in 2023 as coordinator of KTM engineers. He currently serves as Augusto Fernandez’s technical chief and in 2025 he will return with Enea Bastianini, with whom he worked at Gresini.
If it had not been expressly requested by Beastwhich will arrive at the farm next year, Pajamas (the nickname of Giribuola, ed.) would have left the factory for sure. “There is no patience here, and this is the worst thing that can happen to a manufacturer in MotoGP. There should be stability, people who are hired should be allowed to work. Unfortunately, this does not happen,” a KTM staff member told the author of these lines. “Furthermore, the top brass is very stubborn. They still haven’t realized that these setbacks are not good at all and bring very few positive things and a lot of uncertainty among those who work,” adds this authorized source.
Dani Pedrosa, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing pilot, Stefan Pierer, CEO KTM Group
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
The void left by the pieces that are falling, especially Guidotti, will be filled by others and Motorsport.com considers that there are two names that can gain a lot of strength: Dani Pedrosa and Aki Ajo. The first is one of the reference testers, so much so that Pierer himself refers to him as “the real boss of KTM”, having a big say in the development of the RC16. However, the personal moment that the Spaniard is going through, who at the moment is dedicating a lot of time to his family away from the whirlwind of travel of the championship, makes it difficult to see him in a position as demanding as that of team manager, which requires presence at every grand prix. An executive position complementary to Pit Beirer, KTM sporting director, seems more feasible.
Then there is Ajo, who is already responsible for managing the KTM teams in the lower classes. He is always willing to lend a hand to his bosses, who have long seen him as one of the most efficient managers in the paddock, especially in the relationship between investment and sporting benefit obtained. The Finn has had a concrete opportunity in MotoGP for some time now and the Mattighofern manufacturer even went so far as to offer him a third team for 2024, if the opportunity had materialized, which ultimately did not come.
With all this in mind, it is normal that the MotoGP staff are nervous, especially if we take into account the company’s losses, whose sales have fallen by 15%, a circumstance that has filled warehouses with motorcycle stocks. KTM shares are currently trading at 26 euros, less than half of what they were exactly a year ago (62 euros).
Stefan Pierer, Dani Pedrosa, Jens Hainbach, Pit Beirer and Hubert Trunkenpolz
Photo by: KTM Images
In Spielberg, Pedro Acosta was asked if he had had a chance to speak to his boss. “The big prix is not the right place, because each of us goes about our own business. But the most important thing is that we have been assured that the investment in the MotoGP project will continue,” the Spaniard said, sending a message of relief, considering that KTM has laid off hundreds of employees since the beginning of this year.
In any case, it is unlikely that Pierer will abandon his “toy” and it is more than logical that he will use resources and funds from elsewhere to avoid collapse. A month ago, the Austrian entrepreneur signed the sale to the Chinese group Luxshare of 50.1% of Leoni, a German multinational dedicated to the production of wiring harnesses for cars, which he had acquired in 2023 and which last year had a turnover of 5.5 billion euros. The rescue of Leoni, which employs 95,000 people in factories in 26 different countries and plays a key role in the German car industry, was so large that it earned it a seat on the board of Mercedes-Benz.
Aki Ajo, who maintains an excellent relationship with Pedro Acosta, is postulating to make the jump to KTM in MotoGP
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
The image that the businessman projects, in most of the sectors in which he operates, is that of a successful man. For this reason he cannot allow his abilities to be questioned in a showcase like MotoGP. Pierer and his circle are determined to give a shake-up to give new life to KTM with the aim of reducing the gap that currently separates it from Ducati. With Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder as the spearheads in 2025, the numbers for 2024 can be improved, given the expectations generated. Although the South African is ahead of the rookie in the general classification (fifth), it is the Spaniard (sixth) who has achieved the best results, with three podiums against one for Binder. The Pochestfroom rider now has 165 points in the standings, 36 less than he currently had in 2023, when he was fourth in the championship. The last victory for the brand, which has won seven times in total in these almost eight years, was signed by Miguel Oliveira in 2022 (Thailand). Since then, the brand’s record has been limited to eight podiums, well below the roadmap drawn up by the top brass.
This decline is not comparable to the decline of Yamaha and Honda, which has allowed KTM to move into second place in the manufacturers’ standings, albeit with a five-point advantage over third-placed Aprilia. The area where the Pierer Mobility group (KTM and GasGas) excels more than anyone else is in crashes. Between the four riders they have a total of 56 crashes, apart from those of Espargaró (four) and Pedrosa (two). This figure is well above the 30 of Aprilia and the 29 of Honda, both with four bikes on the track, and is only surpassed by Ducati’s 88 crashes, despite having double the number of riders on the grid (eight).
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