KTM is leaving MotoGP in 2026. Unfortunately for all those who bleed orange, that's just a fact, as the company's insolvency administrator made it abundantly clear late last year. Racing, and indeed the high cost of top-tier MotoGP racing, just isn't necessary for the company to save itself.
What isn't yet clear, however, is what will happen to the team—rumors have swirled about potential saviors, including Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, though those are likely bogus, unfortunately—or its grid place slots if no saving grace can be found before the 2026 deadline.
While those talks are likely still going on behind the scenes, i.e. saving the team and keeping it going past 2026, rumors have begun to form that while KTM is supposedly leaving the series, it's "transferring" its race slots to a subsidiary of the company so as to better negotiate a sale at a future day for those slots.
What does that mean? Bascially, KTM is hoping that by transferring its race slots, it can reduce the team's exposure to its financial issues, while simultaneously giving itself a better footing for when it's forced to sell them in 2026.
Suzuki, BMW, get ready to pay through the nose. At least, they will if the company doesn't go belly up before then...
According to GPOne, "Word has come from Switzerland that KTM management intends to transfer the contracts they have with Dorna Sports S.A. for the two Red Bull KTM Factory Team slots in the MotoGP World Championship (Binder and Acosta will compete there in 2025) from Austria to the Swiss subsidiary, KTM Racing AG, in Frauenfeld." The outlet adds, "The current five-year contract will terminate at the end of 2026, and negotiations are already underway for a new one until 2031."
The first part to parse out is fairly simple. KTM is seeking to transfer the slots to another holding company, thus likely attempting to reduce its liability when it comes to restructuring. The second, however, is farcical at best, as KTM Racing cannot hope to survive without someone swooping in and saving the outfit's behinds.
I get that they're doing their damndest to ensure that the racing side of things continues, and any such saving is conditional on having those two grid places in MotoGP. Indeed, GPOne states, "This move would allow the two MotoGP starting slots in the premier class - which will increase significantly in value following the planned takeover of Dorna by Formula1 promoter Liberty Media - to be sold to an investor or shared with an investor because, they would not be affected by ongoing financial problems of the KTM parent company."
But it feels very much cart before the horse. Especially when you add in all the background messiness that is KTM corporate at present, including the power fight between Stefan Pierer and Stephan Zochling, or the fact that they had to pause production again, only made 4,000-ish motorcycles, still have countless old bikes sitting on dealership lots, and can't seem to figure out how to pay back all its creditors.
That said, Dorna is said to already have serious offers for those two grid places—the Tech3 KTM team isn't affected, as they're owned by Hervé Poncharal, not KTM. And given both Suzuki's desire to reenter the sport, and BMW's CEO stating he wants in, too, my guess is that they're actively talking with Dorna about KTM's spots. Another potential, however, could be CFMoto, which already has a big presence in the scene with its support for Moto2 and Moto3, and debuted a V4 engine.
As for what happens next? We'll have to wait and find out. But KTM news has become like drinking from a firehose. It doesn't feel like it's stopping anytime soon.
