KTM to Enter MotoGP in 2017

KTM CEO Stefan Pierer announced that the Austrian company will participate in the MotoGP World Championship in 2017. The company will bring a brand new machine featuring a V4 engine that will be called the KTM RC16.

The KTM RC16 will make its debut in May, 2015 and will undergo testing later in the year. There is also a chance that the KTM RC16 may make a wild card entry in the 2016 season, but the company hasn't confirmed that yet.

The other big, apart from them re-entering MotoGP, is that KTM will produce 100 units of this race bike and will offer it for sale to the public. Now we can't help but wonder how cool that will be. Owners can expect a 1,000cc V4 making over 200bhp, a steel trellis frame, and WP suspension pieces in the RC16.

KTM previously shied away from MotoGP citing budget issues, but this news now makes KTM one of the few new manufacturers to show interest in the championship. Other manufacturers include Suzuki, who will return to the paddock in 2015, Aprilia, who will be seen in the revised Open Class entry machine based on the RSV4 next season. This leads us to wonder what Kawasaki has in store.

KTM will not field a factory team; instead, it will operate in MotoGP like it does in Moto3, supplying machines to strong private teams, and working with them on development and support. More information will pour out soon, so stay tuned!