– In the first half of the 2026 MotoGP season, KTM was plagued by reliability issues. Several times the motorcycles suddenly stalled. In Barcelona, this led to the serious rear-end collision of Alex Marquez with Pedro Acosta. As a precaution, the engine speed was reduced.
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The KTM engineers were able to identify the cause of the problem. At the Sachsenring, motorsport chief Pit Beirer explained that a component from a supplier was defective.
To be allowed to replace this part in the affected engines, KTM applied to the other four manufacturers for permission to open the engines. During the Sachsenring weekend, only Aprilia initially agreed.
Therefore, KTM could not use the summer break to replace the relevant component. At the race weekend in Silverstone, Ducati, Honda, and Yamaha also gave the green light.
“We confirm that we have received the necessary approval to implement the corrective measures related to the technical problem we have been dealing with,” KTM said.
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“Our goal is to carry out these measures as quickly as possible. In the case of Silverstone, we will continue to work with the currently used interim solutions.”
On the fast track in Great Britain, KTM riders must therefore continue to ride with reduced engine speed. The KTM engineers are allowed to open the affected engines in the week before the Aragon GP at the KTM factory in Austria.
However, the opening may only take place under the supervision of an official from the team association IRTA. This allows KTM to avoid having to use additional engines later in the season.
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Since KTM is in concession rank C, each rider has eight engines available per season. Using a ninth engine would result in a start from the pit lane.
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