KTM engine crisis: Beirer admits “something’s not right”

Pit Beirer admits issues with the KTM RC16 engines. He also has a word of thanks for one “rival” in particular...

Lately, KTM news has mainly revolved around the Vinales case or technical problems. At the Sachsenring, however, there’s a faint smile thanks to three riders who crossed the line in the top 10: Acosta finished 4th, Bastianini 9th, and Binder 10th, though unfortunately Vinales retired early. Pit Beirer also addressed the technical side that caused quite a stir: something’s wrong with the engines, they need to work to fix everything soon, and there was help from Aprilia, their “rivals”: specifically, to fix the faulty part they need the consent of all manufacturers, and Aprilia immediately lent a hand. The just-started summer break will be crucial to find a remedy, as well as to sort out the pieces at Tech3...

A tough recent spell. “Everything that could go wrong, did,” Pit Beirer admitted to Sky Sport MotoGP microphones at the end of the German weekend. Aside from the aforementioned Vinales retirement, the other riders did quite well. “Three KTMs in the top 10, with Pedro 4th. There’s a new base to grow a bit more.” He doesn’t mince words describing the situation in the first part of the 2026 MotoGP World Championship, especially since the string of issues began. “We took a heavy fall and now we need to climb out of this hole, but at the Sachsenring we made the first step.”

Many, too many technical problems all at once have inevitably raised a lot of questions. What’s happening at KTM? “The situation isn’t easy, there’s something in our engines that isn’t right. In some of them there’s still this risk and, for safety, they can’t be used; we’ve taken others to avoid that risk.” There’s also a thank you for another brand, Aprilia. “Thanks to Fabiano Sterlacchini and Massimo Rivola, who are helping us solve this situation,” Beirer emphasized, without going too much into detail, but as mentioned at the outset, it’s a regulatory matter. The summer break will be vital; KTM wants to bounce back in the second half of the championship.

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