KTM'S MOTOGP MISSION: PIT BEIRER ON ACOSTA, BINDER, AND CHASING A WORLD TITLE

interview by JANA LETONJA

As KTM Motorsports Director, Pit Beirer has been one of the driving forces behind the manufacturer's ambitious MotoGP project. Under his leadership, KTM has evolved from a newcomer into a consistent front-runner capable of challenging the sport's established giants. With rising star Pedro Acosta emerging as one of the championship's brightest talents and major regulation changes on the horizon, KTM finds itself at a pivotal moment. At the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, we sat down with Pit and discussed the team's progress, Acosta's future, Brad Binder's role, and why KTM's ultimate goal remains unchanged: fighting for MotoGP world championships.

all images courtesy of KTM

KTM entered this season emphasizing stability and continuity. How satisfied are you with the results so far?

We had a really difficult period behind us as a company, so stabilizing everything after that big impact was the main target.

I feel that last year we paid a high price for not being ready at the beginning of the season. We had unhappy riders and we weren't performing at the level we wanted. This year, we're fourth in the championship. Of course, we'd like to be a little bit better, but on the other hand, we can see that with Pedro we are capable of fighting for podiums almost every weekend.

There are still some tracks where we are simply too far off, but in general I'm not fully satisfied because if I look at all four riders, the overall team performance isn't yet where we want it to be.

At the same time, seeing pole position in Barcelona and the performance we've shown here makes me very happy. The level in MotoGP is incredibly high. The rate at which you need to develop and improve the bike is just crazy.

Every week we arrive at a circuit and the lap record gets broken. In some races, there's only one second separating the entire field. Yet every year you almost need to find another second of performance. If you don't, you're at the back. So, I'm really proud of the team and the work they're doing.

Pedro Acosta is widely regarded as one of the sport's brightest talents. What are KTM's priorities in ensuring his long-term future remains with the team?

I don't think it's a secret that it will be difficult to keep him. We hear the rumors that he's talking to other people, so we need to make sure our bike is strong enough.

At the same time, if he decides to leave, we need to ensure that other strong riders still want to come to KTM.

Pedro still has that dream of beating Marc Márquez, and maybe he believes he needs the same machinery to do it.

We're trying to convince him that he doesn't need another bike to beat Marc, that we can do it together. That's what we're working toward, but at the moment nothing is clear regarding the future.

Brad Binder has also been a central figure for the team. What value does he continue to bring?

Brad is more than just a rider. He's a friend. Having him in the team gives us stability. He's been with us through the good days and the difficult days.

At the same time, one of the frustrating parts of this season is that we haven't managed to get Brad where we know he can be. It feels like he needs a little bit of extra luck.

Whether it's pressure or something else, it seems like he just can't quite put everything together at the moment. Then, on the other side of the garage, you have an incredibly strong teammate, which naturally creates another level of pressure.

We want to do a much better job helping Brad get back to where he wants to be.

What would constitute success for KTM this season?

Our target coming into the year was to finish in the top three of the MotoGP championship as a team.

The last few weeks have been a rollercoaster. In Barcelona, during the middle of the race, we were only about twenty points away from the top three in the standings. Then we had a major crash, a difficult weekend at Mugello, red flags, and suddenly we're further away again. Fabio Di Giannantonio overtook us and took that third position.

At the very least, we want that third place back. To be truly happy, we want to finish the season on the championship podium.

And what about the world championship itself?

The world championship is our dream. We've always said that if we stop believing we can become world champions, then we should stop the project.

You have to be honest with yourself, your riders, your team, and the company. The effort required for MotoGP is enormous. The entire company puts so much support behind this project. Everyone involved deserves to believe that we can become world champions. We're not here just to participate.

That said, there are no shortcuts. It takes many years to build the right people, the right infrastructure, and the right organization. We're still the youngest manufacturer among the five currently competing in MotoGP. We absolutely want to fight for titles, not simply participate, but this year may still be a little too early.

KTM has spoken about maintaining four bikes on the grid. How important is that structure?

Competitiveness and development go hand in hand. For me, a good example is Yamaha. They decided to run only one team, and it feels like that was the moment they really started struggling.

Last year, for example, there was a period where only one rider truly believed in the project, Maverick Viñales in the satellite team. He delivered the results and helped pull the others forward. Without him, maybe everyone would have remained stuck.

It's not simply about doubling the number of bikes. It's about multiplying the amount of information, motivation, and collaboration. The riders learn from each other. They exchange ideas. Every evening you have four sets of data to compare. 

For me, if you want to succeed in MotoGP, having four bikes is essential.

With major regulation changes coming next season, how do you balance investing in the future while remaining competitive now?

One thing that helped us is that the engine regulations have been frozen since the beginning of last year through the end of this season. Normally, we'd spend enormous effort developing a new engine for the current bike. Instead, we were able to focus much of that energy on the new 850cc project.

At some point, every manufacturer has to decide when to stop developing the current bike and fully commit to the future project. For me, the 850cc generation represents the ultimate opportunity.

Right now, there are areas of the bike we'd like to improve, but because of the regulations, some things aren't possible. With the new bike, we get a blank sheet of paper. All the ideas and improvements we've wanted to make can finally be incorporated.

The other manufacturers have already gone through several generations of development cycles. We've been pushing continuously since arriving in MotoGP. This felt like the right moment to hit the reset button. That's why we've already been investing heavily in the 850cc project for quite some time. For us, it will be the true benchmark of where we stand as a manufacturer.