This was the 20-year-old’s 11th premier class race and, as Quartararo mentioned, getting a podium on a track that doesn’t suit the Yamaha is a phenomenal achievement. In addition, what’s even more impressive about Quartararo’s performance, is the speed charts. Top speed wise, the Petronas Yamaha SRT rider sits bottom, 3.4km/h slower than Hafizh Syahrin’s Red Bull KTM Tech 3 and a full 14.2km/h slower than Dovizioso and Marquez. The speed difference was highlighted when Dovi blasted past Quartararo on the start-finish straight to take the lead, with Marquez then making the Yamaha look like a sitting duck immediately after on the run down to Turn 3.
Johann Zarco and Red Bull KTM will not complete the second season of a two-year agreement together in 2020. The former Moto2 World Champion and the factory team have mutually decided to end his stint in orange at the end of the 2019 campaign.
Johann Zarco
The 29 year old joined KTM towards the end of 2018 after his second term in MotoGP and for his first with full-factory support. Zarco tried to adapt his riding style to the KTM RC16 and KTM stated that the team tried relentlessly to mould the #5 machine to the Frenchman’s wishes and requirements while teammate Pol Espargaro made regular Q2 qualification appearances and persistently vied for top ten positions.
Johann Zarco
Ultimately both Johann and the team decided not to proceed with their joint project for 2020 and will now focus on giving the maximum for the final eight rounds and remaining months of MotoGP 2019.
The primary highlight so far in their partnership was the front row qualification at Brno
As for who will step into the seat unexpectedly made vacant by the Frenchman, possibilities include the reinstatement of Bradley Smith to the factory team for 2020, or the promotion of Miguel Oliveira from the Tech3 squad to Red Bull Factory KTM Racing.
Tensions were bubbling to boiling point as for the next five laps, Marquez trailed Dovi by 0.1, 0.2. Shadowing his great rival, where would Marquez choose to pounce? With three to go, we found out. Turn 7 was the unlikely location as Marquez stuck it underneath Dovizioso to regain the baton, was it the race-winning move? Serious questions were being asked of Dovizioso, but he was answering them. Marquez wasn’t pulling clear and heading into Turn 1 on the penultimate lap, Dovi went for it. Would he make it stick? Not quite, Dovi ran wide to allow Marquez to power back past.
That left an almighty scrap for second place, which well and truly ignited on lap eight. Luca Marini (SKY Racing Team VR46), Tom Luthi (Dynavolt Intact GP), Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) and Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) all began to fight as if was the last lap. First, at Turn 3, Gardner and Marini swapped paint after all four had searched for the same bit of tarmac, but it didn’t end there. As the quartet flicked into Turn 4, Marini, Bastianini and Gardner ran ever so slightly wide allowing the man in fifth, Gardner, to swoop under all three and reclaim second.
On Lap 2 the front three were well clear of fourth place Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing), 2.7 seconds was the gap as Fenati, Arbolino and McPhee raced clear. The two Italians were exchanging the lead of the race with the Scotsman just sitting it behind, while on Lap 7, Arbolino told Fenati to stick behind him – a VNE Snipers breakaway? Not quite, Fenati was soon back through and with the gap to the chasers up to over four seconds, surely it was the three leaders who were going to fight for Austrian GP victory?
Husqvarna have been announced as making their return to MotoGP racing, alongside the announcement that KTM has made a five-year commitment to their racing efforts in MotoGP until 2026, in the Moto3 and premier MotoGP class.
KTM have reconfirmed their commitment to MotoGP until 2026, with a focus on Moto3 and MotoGP
Husqvarna’s comeback will be marked with a dedicated Moto3 race team and a new model, which will be developed specifically for Moto3, with more details yet to be released.
KTM AG CEO Stefan Pierer and Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta inked the fresh contract for KTM to remain as part of the MotoGP grid for another five years at the Red Bull Ring for the myWorld Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich this weekend. The existing agreement will now extend to a total of seven years from the current campaign: KTM’s third as part of the high profile MotoGP series.
With the pledge to the pinnacle of Grand Prix racing confirmed, KTM realigned their output in the support categories by placing principle emphasis on MotoGP and Moto3. Europe’s leading manufacturer will maintain their carefully constructed ‘road to MotoGP’ ladder from the new Northern Talent Cup (for 2020) and through the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup and the subsequent divisions up until MotoGP but will reshape their perspective in the following two areas.
Aron Canet currently leads the KTM Moto3 effort, with Husqvarna to develop their own Moto3 race machine
Withdrawal as a chassis manufacturer in Moto2 but keeping the close relationship with Aki Ajo’s team as the crucial stepping-stone for Red Bull KTM in MotoGP.
A further focus on Moto3 as the building block for Grand Prix talent to showcase and develop their potential. This includes a renewed effort with the return of Husqvarna to road racing. Adopting the KTM technical platform the brand was part of Moto3 in 2014 and 2015 and scored two podium results in the first season thanks to Danny Kent. The intention for 2020 is to develop a new Husqvarna race bike specifically for Moto3.
KTM continues to make promising gains in the MotoGP class where the quest for single-digit race results in the fiercely competitive contest remains on-track. The brand is a firm believer in the educational role of Moto3. The company’s young heritage started in the best possible way with the first two titles in 2012 (Sandro Cortese) and 2013 (Maverick Viñales) and another in 2016 with Brad Binder and KTM wishes to enforce this initial rung into Grand Prix racing.
Aaron Canet leads the Moto3 standings following Brno 2019
Stefan Pierer, CEO KTM AG
“We made a proactive decision here at our home grand prix to renew our stay in MotoGP and commit to another five years of competition. This is part of a wider strategic view and we now have seven years to rise towards the top of the MotoGP class; the same period of time we needed to conquer the Dakar Rally. We know we are firmly on the way and have made good steps in less than three years already. As part of this outlook we want to boost Moto3: it is the foundation and the base of road racing for us. It is where we began and where we are one of the leading brands. We see a very good opportunity here by bringing back Husqvarna with force; there will be a new bike and a special direction with this project. All of this movement means we will pool our resources and energy and as a consequence we will step out of Moto2.”
Stefan Pierer made the announcement in Austria
Pit Beirer, KTM Motorsport Director
“First of all it is fantastic for us to continue to stay in ‘sixth gear’ as a company in MotoGP and to be able to keep pushing hard to achieve our goals. With our knowledge of more than three-hundred FIM world championships in so many classes we know the ingredients to have success in racing and we are determined not to move from our objective. For this I want to thank Mr Pierer and the KTM AG board for the extra vote of confidence and for all the hard work and belief that every single person who touches this project has made so far. Secondly we have looked at the entire programme and know that our effort has to be well placed, and we believe that MotoGP and Moto3 are the main platforms for us moving forwards. Thanks to the great work and experience with Aki we can maintain a link to Moto2 and the perhaps what is the final preparation needed for the jump to MotoGP. We feel strongly that we can have this asset even though we will vastly reduce our presence as a chassis contributor. We can feel the passion for MotoGP at places like Red Bull Ring this weekend and it allows us to feed off that energy. We believe that exciting times are coming for us as a racing division and as a company.”
Sanders, Milner and Snodgrass storm to Broken Hill AORC victories
Section: Competition
Milesevic and Brierley take out Women’s and EJ class wins.
Image: Supplied.
Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team’s Daniel Sanders and KTM Enduro Racing Team duo Daniel Milner and Lyndon Snodgrass stormed to victories in their respective classes at Broken Hill’s seventh round of the 2019 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC).
Sanders topped the unofficial outright times in brutally dusty conditions, while he was joined in the top three by fellow class winners Milner and Snodgrass.
In the E3 category, Sanders couldn’t be stopped as he stretched out a convincing lead to take victory over Andy Wilksch (Motul Pirelli Sherco Team) and Alexander Bolton (Bolton Motorcycles), as Beau Ralston (Schwarz Excavation Husqvarna JWP) and Jesse Lawton (Husqvarna) locked out the top five.
The E2 division saw Milner charge to victory ahead of Joshua Green (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube Racing), the duo finishing comfortably ahead Jeremy Carpentier (Yamaha MXstore Ballards Off-Road Team), Stefan Granquist (Yamaha) and William Price (KTM).
Snodgrass emerged victorious in the highly-competitive E1 class, edging out points leader Luke Styke (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube Racing) for the top spot. Fraser Higlett (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) was third followed by Michael Driscoll (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube Racing) and Lachlan Allan (Kawasaki Castrol Oil Off-Road Team).
Emma Milesevic (Honda) and Josh Brierley (Husqvarna) captured wins in the Women’s and EJ classes respectively. The AORC now heads to Coonalpyn in South Australia on 31 August-1 September.
With the pledge to the pinnacle of Grand Prix racing confirmed, KTM have realigned their output in the support categories by placing principle emphasis on MotoGP™ and Moto3™. Europe’s leading manufacturer will maintain their carefully constructed ‘road to MotoGP’ ladder from the new Northern Talent Cup (for 2020) and through the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup and the subsequent divisions up until MotoGP™ but will reshape their perspective in the following two areas:
Behind, Smith had battled his way through to fourth following his lap one error as he tried to recoup as many valuable points as he possibly could. As the leaders started the final lap, Di Meglio’s lead was cut in half as a last-lap lunge from Garzo began to look increasingly likely. That was, however, until the Spaniard crashed out at Turn 4 and subsequently handed the 25 points and the second-ever MotoE™ victory to 2008 125cc World Champion, Mike Di Meglio.
Roczen takes out dominant Unadilla Pro Motocross win
Section: Competition
Ferrandis wins 250MX as Lawrence scores 13th on debut.
Image: Supplied.
Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen rode to a commanding 1-1 scorecard at Unadilla’s 10th round of the 2019 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, as Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Star Racing) took out top honours in 250MX.
German ace Roczen couldn’t be stopped at he put on a dominant display, taking out both moto wins on his way to the overall, ultimately joined on the podium by Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Zach Osborne (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing).
Points leader and two-time defending champion Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) for fourth, followed by Jason Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) in fifth.
The 250MX class saw Ferrandis and points leader Adam Cianciarulo (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) tied on the points with a moto win to each their names, but it was the Frenchman who was granted the win on countback.
Chase Sexton (Geico Honda) locked out the podium ahead of Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Star Racing duo Justin Cooper and Colt Nichols, as Australian Jett Lawrence (Amsoil Factory Connection Honda) made his Pro Motocross debut, lodging a 21-8 scorecard for 13th overall. The series now heads to Budds Creek for round 11 this weekend.
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