VOL. 55 ISSUE 17 MAY 1, 2018 P39
so strong in the Twins class last
season and that created a lot of
buzz, I think KTM began looking
at the Twins Championship as
well. In all our discussions with
them they see it as a great way
to promote their new 790 Duke,
which is supposed to hit the
market sometime this year, and I
think is a very important bike for
them. So KTM has been explor-
ing how to get involved in both
classes, not just the Singles.
For me, this is amazing. To get
a manufacturer setting up a full
factory team to compete in both
classes would be a fulfillment
of a very important part of our
goals. They put a toe in the wa-
ter already with the deal they've
done through Husqvarna with
Shayna [Texter]. That was really
the first manifestation of this that
they've come in at a softer level
giving Shayna factory support in
the Singles class so they can get
their feet wet.
Indian obviously made a
major impact on the sport
from the start with its fac-
tory team, but they not only
did extensive testing prior to
entering the sport, they also
hired some of the elite riders
and crews in flat track to help
secure a successful launch.
Do you get the feeling that
KTM understands the kind
of commitment its going to
take in terms of hiring the
right people and the testing
its going to take to see them
be competitive against Indian
and Harley-Davidson?
That's a good point and I think
one of the motivations for them
in making this announcement
so early is that they are going to
be testing and recruiting and all
of that and you can't keep that
secret. I think they got in front of
this early so people know about
it and they can actively recruit
talent and they don't have to do it
in the shadows. KTM is very pro-
fessional in its approach. If you
walk through KTM's race shop,
it's top notch. This is how racing
should be done. So, we'll benefit
not only from having another fac-
tory in the paddock, but one that
takes racing very seriously.
Larry Lawrence
LE MANS 24 HOUR HIGHLIGHTS
T
he 2018 Le Mans 24 Hour
was one of the most action-
packed in recent memory with
F.C.C TSR Honda France taking
an improbable victory. Crashes
and mechanical problems
plagued many of the front-
runners, including the factory
Yamaha Austria Racing Team,
Team SRC Kawasaki and world
champion, GMT94 Yamaha.
The F.C.C TSR win with rid-
ers Freddy Foray, Alan Techer
and Josh Hook was the first
time a Japanese team (F.C.C
Honda runs out of Japan but
has partnered with Honda
France) has claimed victory at
Le Mans. It was also a first-ever
Le Mans win for Bridgestone
and the first Honda win since
2006 with National Motors.
Here is a video highlight ed-
ited by FIM EWC. CN
