INTERVIEW
KTM PRESIDENT/CEO STEFAN PIERER PART 2
P84
back in contention much
faster. We'll have a press
launch in June to announce
this, but for 2016 everything
changes for KTM off-road.
Will this also apply to
Husqvarna?
Yes, but one year later
is when we are making the
same changes for Enduro
for both brands. We'll start
with the showcase sector,
which is Motocross, then
spread out also into Enduro
one year later. For Husqvar-
na you will see a different
more Scandinavian kind of
design—smoother, not so
aggressive and edgy like
KTM… but everything's new.
And you will also see the
first composite rear end—a
carbon fiber rear subframe,
and other nice stuff.
Is there not a risk that
the off-road market has
been saturated?
No, because for many
years, but especially in
Motocross, you have to
have the latest stuff, and
so you must keep setting
all these benchmarks. In En-
duro it's different. It's a very
conservative, very reliable
customer, but after a certain
period he wants to have the
same technology as the big
guys, too.
Will KTM still continue
with two-strokes?
The two-stroke is still
alive! We manufactured
26,000 last year, and the
"WE'LL PROVIDE
THEM WITH THE
BEST PACKAGE.
WE WON'T DO IT
LIKE APRILIA DID
IN THE OLD DAYS
OF 125/250GP
AND HAVE SIX
DIFFERENT LEVELS
FOR CUSTOMERS
DEPENDING ON
HOW MUCH MONEY
THEY CAN BRING
TO THE TABLE.
IT'LL BE THE SAME
FOR EVERYBODY."
(Left) Chris Fillmore and the KTM HMC team campaigned the RC8
in AMA Superbikes, but unfortunately Pierer says no more Superbike
racing for KTM in the future. (Right) In 2014 Cairoli won his eighth
title in the FIM Motocross World Championship.
PHOGRAPHY
BY
ANDREA
WILSON
