KTM Tough Times Yeild Good Times

KTM - When Times Were Tough

Posted on January 30, 2018

There is no doubt, KTM pretty much own the FIM Motocross World Championship, well at least the trophies and titles. Since KTM got serious about being involved in the GP scene, after being out for some time, they quickly started dominating.

While KTM had won world 250 titles with the legendary Russian Guennady Moisseev in 1977 and 1978, Heinz Kinigadner in 1984 and 1985, plus a 125 title with Trampas Parker in 1989, and finally a world title in the 500 class with Shayne King in 1996.

It wasn’t until 2000 that they really got serious and they won a 500 title with legendary Belgian Joel Smets and a 125 title with just as legendary South African, Grant Langston. The year 2000 marked the start of something that has just been amazing.

With the CHAMP KTM team, run by multiple GP winner Kees Van Der Ven, they dominated the 125/MX2 class, with world titles going to guys like Grant Langston, James Dobb (was full factory) and Steve Ramon.

Had it not been for two guys names Stefan Everts and Antonio Cairoli, they would have won more, but Yamaha held the upper hand with these two greats, winning a majority of the titles between 2001 and 2006, but with Everts retired, and Cairoli switching to the orange army, KTM wrapped up titles like fish drinking water.

Cairoli scored seven MX1/MXGP championship for them, and names like Tyla Rattray, Marvin Musquin, Ken Roczen, Jeffrey Herlings, Jordi Tixier and Pauls Jonass have helped KTM own the MX2 class. In fact, from 2008 until 2014 they won all the titles, the second longest run for a brand (Suzuki won 10 in a row in the 1970s).

Of course, it wasn’t always roses for KTM. I still remember the first season they really got serious. It was 2006, and they had signed the brilliant Frenchmen, Sebastien Tortelli and Mickael Pichon. Both with two world titles each, and maybe a little on the older side, but still both amazing riders.

Their MX2 effort was also impressive, with Marc De Reuver, Tyla Rattray, Carl Nunn and David Philippaerts. Like the MX1 boys, who had to deal with Everts, these 250 riders needed to deal with not only Antonio Cairoli, but also Christophe Pourcel.

With Kurt Nicoll, Georges Jobe and Jacky Martens as managers, they have a lot of experiences, but even in that area there were problems, and atmosphere in the team wasn’t great. I remember being banned from the KTM tent because I had said something not really positive about Pichon and Tortelli.

Pichon rode the first round in Zolder, Belgium and was done. No points and his season over. He complained about sickness, but talk was the bikes were not good, although he did come back in September for France and rode well, but in the MX1 championship he finished last, down in around 55^th place with zero points.

Tortelli started well, finishing second to Everts in Zolder, with 1-2 results, but it was clear he was pushing too hard on occasions and after finishing second in the opening moto in Portugal, he crashed and was out for the season.  His final place in the championship was 21^st.

As for the MX2 boys it was a lot better, with Philippaerts third in the championship behind Pourcel and Cairoli. Rattray was fourth, De Reuver fifth and Nunn sixth. Strong, but never really in the hunt against the top two guys.

De Reuver won a GP in Bulgaria, Rattray in Zolder, Portugal, and Ireland, and Philippaerts won in Sweden.

Of course, since that 2006 season, things changed quickly for KTM. They continued to invest, have since signed Cairoli, who as mentioned added MX1/MXGP titles in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2017, and in MX2, they only lost one, when Tim Gajser won on a Honda in 2015. From 2008 until 2017, they have won nine from 10 titles.

It's little surprise that KTM have worked with the best of the best, in Stefan and Harry Everts, Antonio Cairoli, Jeffrey Herlings, Joel Smets, Roger De Coster, Heinz Kinigadner, Pit Beirer, Ken Roczen, Kurt Nicoll, Marvin Musquin, Jacky Martens and many more. Experience seems to rub off on the riders and titles come because of that.

They always say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and we can't agree more than KTM took that 2006 season, and made sure they didn't keep making the same mistakes. The rest is history.