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| 2024 name | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing |
|---|---|
| Base | Munderfing, Austria |
| Principal | Aki Ajo Pit Beirer |
| Rider(s) | MotoGP: 33. Brad Binder 37. Pedro Acosta 26. Dani Pedrosa (test rider) [1] 82. Mika Kallio (test rider) 94. Jonas Folger (test rider) |
| Motorcycle | KTM RC16 |
| Tyres | Michelin |
| Riders' Championships | Moto3: 2021 - Pedro Acosta |
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing is the factory team of KTM active in the MotoGP World Championship supported by sponsor, drinks manufacturer Red Bull.
KTM have a well-established presence amongst off-road motorcycle sport and decided to enter MotoGP in the premier class of motorcycle road racing.
In September 2014, Pit Beirer announced that KTM were to start in MotoGP for 2017, even though work on the project had not started. A year and a half before their MotoGP debut, KTM tested their V4 engine for the first time, a configuration designed to use a steel trellis frame chassis only used by this team.
In October 2015, the KTM RC16 was track-tested on for the first time at the Red Bull Ring with Alex Hofmann as the first test rider on the bike. The team carried out further testing at circuits such as Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Circuito de Jerez, Brno Circuit, Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli and Mugello Circuit whilst using test riders, Mika Kallio, Randy De Puniet, Karel Abraham and Thomas Lüthi.
The team presented the RC16 to the public for the first time before the start of the 2016 Austrian GP with test riders Kallio and Hofmann doing a couple of laps before announcing that Mika Kallio would have a wildcard entry for the 2016 Valencian GP aboard the RC16, making the official debut race for the machine and KTM into the MotoGP category.
In November 2016, Kallio rode the RC16 as a wildcard at the final race in Valencia, qualifying in 20th place. After initially keeping up with the pace during the opening stages of the race, the bike's rear wheel sensors malfunctioned forcing Kallio to retire from the race.
Pol Espargaró and Bradley Smith tested the RC16 during the first official winter test, just one day after the final grand prix of 2016 season at Valencia. This was the first time that the pair had ridden KTMs after leaving the Tech 3 team where they had been teammates for three years.
KTM had a private test at the Jerez circuit towards the end of November. Due to Espargaró still being under contract with Yamaha at the time, he was unable to test which meant that Mika Kallio stood in for him. In January and February, KTM took part in the official pre-season tests at Sepang International Circuit and Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit as well as the final test at Losail International Circuit just two weeks before the first Grand Prix of 2017 in March.
The team unveiled the bike at their headquarters at the end of February along with Red Bull KTM Ajo's Moto3 title defender and their new Moto2 KTM competitor.
The team made their debut in the MotoGP category at the 2017 Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix; qualifying in 22nd and 23rd, they were able to finish in 16th and 17th six seconds apart. The team scored their first points in their second grand prix in Argentina, finishing 14th and 15th.
At the 2017 French motorcycle Grand Prix Espargaró finished in 12th place in the race which was the best result until he finished in 11th place in the Dutch TT, and qualified 7th at the 2017 German motorcycle Grand Prix in which Mika Kallio made his second appearance on the RC16 as a wildcard.
Kallio finished 16th whilst Espargaró and Smith collected more points. At the 2017 Czech Republic motorcycle Grand Prix Espargaró finished in 9th which was the team's first top 10 in a MotoGP Grand Prix. Pol would reach this feat again at the 2017 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix.
Expectations from KTM were to step up their results. This had happened at the start of the season with Espargaró finishing in the points a total of seven times in a row. Smith struggled to get the same start to the season that Espargaró had. At the 2018 Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix it was announced that Johann Zarco would replace Smith for 2019.
During the 2018 German motorcycle Grand Prix Kallio suffered a major knee injury during the practice sessions. Injury would then befall Espargaró who broke his collar bone in a warm-up session in preparation for the 2018 Czech Republic motorcycle Grand Prix.
Smith would be the stand-alone KTM factory rider, with Espargaró trying to return from injury too soon resulting in poor results and even not starting a Grand Prix. After a tough season and not meeting as many expectations, the 2018 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix would become the most successful day in KTM so far in Grand Prix Racing. KTM and Espargaró would, respectively, take both their first podiums in the top class of motorcycle grand prix racing with Smith ending his KTM career with a personal best finish with 8th place in the torrential rain of Valencia.
In August 2019, contracted rider Johann Zarco announced he would not ride for KTM in 2020. In September 2019, the KTM team announced Zarco would not ride in the remaining six events from 22 September, with test rider Mika Kallio taking his place. [2]
On 9 August 2020, KTM secured their first MotoGP win, and their first dry weather podium with Brad Binder at the Czech GP.
The KTM GP Academy
The KTM GP Academy was created as a talent filtering system to identify, support and nurture some of the brightest prospects from development series like the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, the Northern Talent Cup and the Austrian Junior Cup through the learning process of Moto3 and Moto2. The factory-run structure is established with the close cooperation of key teams and partners such as Red Bull KTM Ajo and Red Bull KTM Tech3 with the goal of eventually elevating an athlete onto the MotoGP grid. Names like Brad Binder, Augusto Fernandez, Miguel Oliveira, Remy Gardner and more have all made full steps through the KTM GP Academy while Pedro Acosta has won two titles in just three seasons of Grand Prix competition. KTM’s expanding culture in MotoGP, the presence of different models of machinery and valued collaborators such as WP Suspension mean that individuals in the KTM GP Academy are very familiar with the technology and ethos of the company to evolve and chase their dreams.
| Year | Class | Team name | Bike | Riders | Races | Wins | Podiums | Poles | F. laps | Points | Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | MotoGP | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM RC16 |  Johann Zarco | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 (30) | 18th |
 Pol Espargaró | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 11th | ||||
 Mika Kallio | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 26th | ||||
| 2020 |  Brad Binder | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 87 | 11th | |||
| Pol Espargaró | 14 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 135 | 5th | ||||
| 2021 | Brad Binder | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 151 | 6th | |||
| Dani Pedrosa | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 25th | ||||
 Miguel Oliveira | 18 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 94 | 14th | ||||
| 2022 | Brad Binder | 20 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 188 | 6th | |||
| Miguel Oliveira | 20 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 149 | 10th | ||||
| 2023 | Brad Binder | 20 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 293 | 4th | |||
| Dani Pedrosa | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 21st | ||||
 Jack Miller | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 163 | 11th | ||||
| 2024 | Brad Binder | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 217 | 5th | |||
| Pol Espargaró | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 23rd | ||||
| Dani Pedrosa | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 24th | ||||
| Jack Miller | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 87 | 14th | ||||
| 2025 | Brad Binder | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0* | NC* | |||
| Pedro Acosta | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0* | NC* |
(key)
| Year | Motorcycle | Tyres | Riders | Races | Rider's standings | Team standings | Manufacturers' standings | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Name | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Points | Pos | Pts | Pos | Points | Position | |||
| 2017 | KTM RC16 | M | QAT | ARG | AME | SPA | FRA | ITA | CAT | NED | GER | CZE | AUT | GBR | RSM | ARA | JPN | AUS | MAL | VAL | ||||||||||
| 36 | Mika Kallio | 16 | 10 | 11 | Ret | 11 | 24th | — | 69 | 5th | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 38 |  Bradley Smith | 17 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 20 | DNS | Ret | 14 | Ret | 18 | 17 | 10 | 19 | 17 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 29 | 21st | 84 | 10th | |||||||
| 44 | Pol Espargaró | 16 | 14 | Ret | Ret | 12 | Ret | 18 | 11 | 13 | 9 | Ret | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 10 | Ret | 55 | 17th | |||||||||
| 2018 | QAT | ARG | AME | SPA | FRA | ITA | CAT | NED | GER | CZE | AUT | GBR | RSM | ARA | THA | JPN | AUS | MAL | VAL | |||||||||||
| 36 | Mika Kallio | 10 | Ret | DNS | 6 | 25th | — | 72 | 5th | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 38 | Bradley Smith | 18 | Ret | 16 | 13 | 14 | 14 | Ret | 17 | 10 | Ret | 14 | C | 16 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 15 | 8 | 38 | 18th | 89 | 9th | ||||||
| 44 | Pol Espargaró | Ret | 11 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | Ret | DNS | Ret | DNS | 21 | 13 | Ret | Ret | 3 | 51 | 14th | ||||||||||
| 76 | Loris Baz | C | 0 | NC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | QAT | ARG | AME | SPA | FRA | ITA | CAT | NED | GER | CZE | AUT | GBR | RSM | ARA | THA | JPN | AUS | MAL | VAL | |||||||||||
| 5 | Johann Zarco | 15 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 17 | 10 | Ret | Ret | 14 | 12 | Ret | 11 | 27 (30) | 18th | 134 | 8th | 111 | 5th | ||||||||||
| 44 | Pol Espargaró | 12 | 10 | 8 | 13 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 11 | Ret | 9 | 7 | DNS | 13 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 100 | 11th | ||||||||
| 82 | Mika Kallio | 17 | Ret | 14 | Ret | 15 | 12 | 7 | 26th | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | SPA | ANC | CZE | AUT | STY | RSM | EMI | CAT | FRA | ARA | TER | EUR | VAL | POR | ||||||||||||||||
| 33 | Brad Binder | 13 | Ret | 1 | 4 | 8 | 12 | Ret | 11 | 12 | 11 | Ret | 7 | 5 | Ret | 87 | 11th | 222 | 3rd | 200 | 4th | |||||||||
| 44 | Pol Espargaró | 6 | 7 | Ret | Ret | 3 | 10 | 3 | Ret | 3 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 135 | 5th | |||||||||||||
| 2021 | QAT | DOH | POR | SPA | FRA | ITA | CAT | GER | NED | STY | AUT | GBR | ARA | RSM | AME | EMI | ALR | VAL | ||||||||||||
| 33 | Brad Binder | 14 | 8 | 5 | Ret | 13 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 151 | 6th | 245 | 6th | 205 | 5th | |||||
| 88 | Miguel Oliveira | 13 | 15 | 16 | 11 | Ret | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | Ret | Ret | 16 | 14 | 20 | 11 | Ret | Ret | 14 | 94 | 14th | |||||||||
| 2022 | QAT | INA | ARG | AME | POR | SPA | FRA | ITA | CAT | GER | NED | GBR | AUT | RSM | ARA | JPN | THA | AUS | MAL | VAL | ||||||||||
| 33 | Brad Binder | 2 | 8 | 6 | 13 | Ret | 10 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 188 | 6th | 337 | 2nd | 240 | 4th | |||
| 88 | Miguel Oliveira | Ret | 1 | 13 | 18 | 5 | 12 | Ret | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 5 | 149 | 10th | |||||||
| Year | Bike | Tyres | No. | Riders | Race | Rider's standings | Team standings | Manufacturers standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | Pts | Pos | Pts | Pos | Pts | Pos | |||||
| 2023 | KTM RC16 | M | POR | ARG | AME | SPA | FRA | ITA | GER | NED | GBR | AUT | CAT | RSM | IND | JPN | INA | AUS | THA | MAL | QAT | VAL | ||||||||||
| 26 | Dani Pedrosa | 76 | 44 | 32 | 21st | 456 | 4th | 373 | 2nd | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 33 | Brad Binder | 6 | 171 | 135 | 21 | 62 | 5 | Ret6 | 45 | 39 | 22 | Ret4 | 145 | 44 | Ret2 | 6 | 4 | 32 | Ret5 | 57 | 32 | 293 | 4th | |||||||||
| 43 | Jack Miller | 74 | 6 | Ret9 | 33 | Ret | 76 | 63 | Ret | 87 | 155 | 8 | Ret | 147 | 64 | 79 | 7 | 16 | 86 | 9 | Ret | 163 | 11th | |||||||||
| 2024 | QAT | POR | AME | SPA | FRA | CAT | ITA | NED | GER | GBR | AUT | ARA | RSM | EMI | INA | JPN | AUS | THA | MAL | SLD | ||||||||||||
| 26 | Dani Pedrosa | Ret3 | 7 | 24th | 304 | 6th | 327 | 2nd | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 33 | Brad Binder | 2 2 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 106 | 66 | 98 | Ret4 | 57 | 46 | 47 | 19 6 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 69 | DNS7 | 69 | 217 | 5th | |||||||||
| 43 | Jack Miller | 21 | 55 | 137 | Ret | Ret8 | Ret7 | 16 | 11 | 13 | 127 | 195 | 15 | 88 | 16 | Ret | 108 | 11 | 5 | DNS8 | 13 | 87 | 14th | |||||||||
| 44 | Pol Espargaró | 17 | 119 | 10 | 12 | 23rd | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025 | THA | ARG | AME | QAT | SPA | FRA | GBR | ARA | ITA | NED | GER | CZE | AUT | HUN | CAT | RSM | JPN | INA | AUS | MAL | POR | VAL | ||||||||||
| 33 | Brad Binder | 0* | NC* | 0* | NC* | 0* | NC* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 37 | Pedro Acosta | 0* | NC* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mika Kallio is a Finnish Grand Prix motorcycle racer, currently serving as the lead test and development rider for the Red Bull KTM team in MotoGP. He debuted in the 125cc World Championship with the Finnish rookie team Ajo Motorsport in the 2001 German Grand Prix and was awarded the "Rookie of the Year" with the team in 2002. After moving to the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team during the 2003 season, he finished runner-up in the 125cc class in both 2005 and 2006, and also finished runner-up in the 2014 Moto2 World Championship. Moving up to MotoGP full-time for 2009 and 2010, he obtained the "Rookie of the Year" award in his first season in the premier class.
Ajo Motorsport is a Finnish Grand Prix motorcycle racing team, currently competing in the Moto2 and Moto3 classes under the name Red Bull KTM Ajo. The team's founder and principal is former racer Aki Ajo. His son, former racer Niklas Ajo, is also involved in the team as crew chief and race engineer in the Moto3 programme.
Johann Zarco is a French Grand Prix motorcycle racer, best known for winning the 2015 and 2016 Moto2 World Championships with his 2015 triumph being a record points total for the intermediate class. He is a MotoGP race winner, and currently rides for Castrol Honda LCR in MotoGP.
The 2016 FIM Moto2 World Championship was a part of the 68th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. The season was marred by the death of Luis Salom during a free practice session, at the Catalan Grand Prix.
Jorge Martín Almoguera, nicknamed the Martinator, is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle racer, who will be riding for Aprilia Racing from 2025. He won the 2024 MotoGP World Championship with Prima Pramac Racing, becoming the first independent team rider to win the premier class title in the MotoGP era.
The 2017 FIM MotoGP World Championship was the premier class of the 69th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.
The KTM RC16 is a prototype grand prix racing motorcycle which was developed to race in the MotoGP series by KTM, starting from the 2017 season.
The 2018 FIM Moto3 World Championship was a part of the 70th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. Joan Mir was the reigning series champion, but he did not defend his title as he joined Moto2.
The 2019 FIM MotoGP World Championship was the premier class of the 71st F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.
The 2020 FIM MotoGP World Championship was the premier class of the 72nd F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.
The 2020 Portuguese motorcycle Grand Prix was the fifteenth and final round of the 2020 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season and the fourteenth and final round of the 2020 MotoGP World Championship. It was held at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimão on 22 November 2020.
Pedro Acosta Sánchez is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle racer, competing in MotoGP for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team. Acosta took his maiden win in only his second Moto3 race at the 2021 Doha motorcycle Grand Prix after starting from the pitlane for irresponsible riding in free practice. In the same season, he won the 2021 Moto3 World Championship becoming the first rookie champion since Loris Capirossi in 1990, and the second youngest ever champion, just one day older than Capirossi was at the time of winning. In 2023, Acosta won the Moto2 world championship with 2 races to go. Acosta is also a champion of the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, having won the title in 2020.
The 2022 Indonesian motorcycle Grand Prix was the second round of the 2022 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It was held at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit in Central Lombok on 20 March 2022.
The 2022 Argentine Republic motorcycle Grand Prix was the third round of the 2022 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It was held at the Autódromo Termas de Río Hondo in Termas de Río Hondo on 3 April 2022.
The 2022 French motorcycle Grand Prix was the seventh round of the 2022 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season and the second round of the 2022 MotoE World Cup. All races were held at the Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans on 15 May 2022.
The 2022 British motorcycle Grand Prix was the twelfth round of the 2022 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It was held at the Silverstone Circuit in Silverstone on 7 August 2022.
The 2022 Austrian motorcycle Grand Prix was the thirteenth round of the 2022 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season and the fifth round of the 2022 MotoE World Cup. All races were held at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg on 21 August 2022.
The 2022 San Marino and Rimini Riviera motorcycle Grand Prix was the fourteenth round of the 2022 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, and the sixth and final round of the 2022 MotoE World Cup. All races were held at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in Misano Adriatico on 4 September 2022.
The 2022 Aragon motorcycle Grand Prix was the fifteenth round of the 2022 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It was held at the MotorLand Aragón in Alcañiz on 18 September 2022.
The 2023 Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix was the nineteenth round of the 2023 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It was held at the Lusail International Circuit in Lusail on 19 November 2023.
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