Pit Beirer speaks about KTM's super year
KTM won this year in the Dakar, enduro, rally raids, as well as Moto2 and Moto3 GPs. Yet the Austrians' star shone brightest in the FIM Motocross World Championship, where their dominance reached unprecedented proportions. Adam Wheeler spoke about this with KTM Motorsport director Pit Beirer.
The statistics leave nothing to the imagination. In both the MXGP and MX2, KTM won both the world title and the vice world title, and the constructors' and team titles and holeshot awards also went to Mattighofen. No fewer than 19(!) of the 20 GPs in the MXGP were won by KTM. In MX2, Jorge Prado and Pauls Jonass together recorded 17 GP victories in 20 races.
According to KTM Motorsport director Pit Beirer, himself a seven-time motocross GP winner, 2018 was “an example of how a perfect team should work.” Beirer not only talked about the sporting and technical level of the KTM riders, but also about how the sporting tensions were handled. The charged duels between Jeffrey Herlings and Tony Cairoli and between Jorge Prado and Pauls Jonas provided fireworks on the track in the British and Turkish Grand Prix respectively.
As is known, Cairoli and Prado worked under the supervision of Claudio De Carli, while Dirk Gruebel Herlings, Jonas and MXoN winner Glenn Coldenhoff were under his wing. Although there were clearly camps in the Orange Front, Beirer praised the professionalism of his troops.
“Everyone always talks about two teams, but I see it as one big team with five drivers,” says Pit. “These guys and girls are all so professional. The entire operation is an example of how a perfect team should work. Ultimately, motocross is not a team sport when you are at the start, but everyone worked fantastically together in the background. We involved a lot of people who work for the riders and we tried to keep the environment neutral and kept the battle down to the track. I think the riders came very close this year and we had two crashes that we had to talk about in the team… But even then we managed to stay neutral. I think there is a lot of respect between the riders and they know there is only one number 1. I don't think we could have handled it any better and I'm very proud that they are under one umbrella.”
What Red Bull KTM brought in 2018 was undoubtedly spectacular. From the continued high level of Cairoli to the further development of Herlings, the blossoming of Jonass and then Prado and the regularity of Coldenhoff. The performance of the 450 and 250 SX-Fs has also been further perfected with unparalleled take-off performance. Jonass continues his career path with a lateral jump to the Rockstar Energy IceOne Husqvarna team. Coldenhoff remains in 'orange' but will play for Standing Construct-KTM. Red Bull KTM returns to a line-up with four riders, most of whom are recent additions, Tom Vialle, was announced last week.
So there are certainly shifts for the reigning champions, but Beirer insists that the men and chemistry that made 2018 so successful are ready for more. “I think the team is only as strong as the human input or the efforts made behind the scenes,” he explains. “We can't plan how everything will go, but we always try to connect with young riders early. Then there are good days and bad days, as always. Every day you have to push a little harder than your competition. However, we do it as one team and the drivers compete against their rivals and that is what it is all about in the end.”
Tekst: Adam Wheeler
Photos: Ray Archer, Philip Platzer
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