#ktm

[avsmotorcyclegprixnews]

Tech3 Boss says they have no Interest in signing Brad Binder for 2027

Brad Binder, who has spent his entire career with KTM and won the 2015 moto 3 title with them, appears set to leave the company at the end of the 2026 season. Both Binder and his current teammate, Pedro Acosta, will be replaced, with Acosta heading to Ducati while Binder's future remains uncertain.

A move to KTM's satellite Tech3 team also appears to be off the table. Tech3 Team Boss Gunther Steiner suggested that the team is looking to make a fresh start for 2027.

Although Gunther Steiner did not mention Brad Binder by name, his comments were widely interpreted as ruling out a move for riders with long-standing ties to the KTM organisation.

As Steiner said.

"There's a long history there [between KTM and Binder], and somehow, sometimes you need to start from fresh, not to carry too much over. I mean, we speak all about these difficult situations, and in the end, we need to be, I call it a ‘happy team’ going forward. We don't want any ‘old baggage’. We want to start afresh.

Therefore, maybe it doesn't fit in, people which were associated with the group – not only with Tech3 and KTM, but with the group – for too long of a time, because you always go back to how it was in the old days, you know. Sometimes you need a fresh start."

[fenakos]

[avsmotorcyclegprixnews]

Maverick Vinales says his KTM Contract Situation reminds him of his Yamaha Exit

Maverick Vinales' relationship with KTM appears to have broken down following a dispute over his contract.Vinales claims he was promised a place in the factory team and even signed a factory agreement before KTM allegedly withdrew the offer. Since then, the relationship between the two parties has deteriorated.

Maverick Vinales believes the situation bears similarities to his difficult split from Yamaha in 2021. At the time, the partnership ended after the Styrian GP following the over-revving controversy. Vinales has previously said he felt unsupported by Yamaha, and he now believes he is experiencing a similar situation with KTM.

As Vinales said.

"What I said on Thursday is basically the truth of the situation and what happened. So this is the truth and I don't want to hide the truth because it is the same as it happened in Yamaha. A lot of people start to say that I have mental problems. No, I don't have anything.

The problem is the teams that push me to the absolute limit with the things, with the decisions. They know very well that if I feel that the team is giving the maximum for me, I will give a thousand percent for the team. But as soon as you put me on the side, for me, this is gone.

I need to feel that I am valued for the project and for the team. That's why I always said that I'm really happy with the engineers because they give me the value I need. As I said, I signed a contract that was really bad for my confidence, even for the future. To make decisions or different decisions was very bad. But I trust in the engineers. I trust in the project."

[avsmotorcyclegprixnews]

KTM Director says Maverick Vinales chose not to Continue with Tech3 in 2027 on his own Accord

Maverick Vinales joined Tech3 KTM from Aprilia ahead of the 2025 season. Vinales impressed on several occasions and was even considered a candidate for promotion to KTM's factory team. However, those plans never materialised following his injury and performance drop.

Maverick Vinales has claimed that he was promised a place in the factory team and even signed a factory contract that was later not honoured. According to Vinales, that disagreement ultimately led to the breakdown of his relationship with KTM.

KTM Motorsports Director Pit Beirer, however, disputes that version of events. Beirer said KTM never offered Maverick Vinales a factory contract, but instead presented him with a new deal to remain at Tech3. According to Beirer, Vinales chose to reject that offer, forcing KTM to move quickly in the rider market as other top riders became available.

As Beirer said.

"It's no secret that we had hoped that [Vinales] would be one of the factory riders in the future. Last summer, we were discussing this and opened this door. He told us ‘don't worry for my health, I'm back by Spielberg’. That's where he made his first comeback last year. Since then, we have been waiting week by week to have him in full form.

There was a moment when we had the chance to get Alex and Fabio, and in that moment Maverick was just nowhere near to show us that he will come back to that old form. We wouldn't need a better rider than Maverick was exactly here a year ago when he had this stupid crash in the rain.

I didn't know that this was not an option for him. He chose now to say that our second team….which is not the B-level team; both teams are getting on a first class level, especially now with Guenther [Steiner in charge]. The rider market doesn't get better by waiting and what do you think we are waiting for?

Waiting and not signing a rider was just purely to give Maverick more time to get ready, to show us something. I needed him to show me something. I cannot just take a rider and say, ‘Guenther, that's your rider'.

We started just a very normal contract conversation. We talked already about figures and stuff, how the future could look. But then at one stage things went just wrong when he found out it's not about the factory spot. I understand this frustration because that was his hope and him believing in the factory. He's ready to fight for the factory and so he wanted a seat in that one team. I don't know."

[yushiang911]

2026重機展盛事！太古二輪生態系精英盡出：哈雷雙旗艦、Vespa 80周年特仕版與英倫/北歐重機震撼亮相 「2026 國際重型機車展」，於 7 月 12 日至 7 月 14 日在台北南港展覽館 2 館盛大開展！今年展場上最受矚目的耀眼焦點，莫過於由太古汽車集團所擘劃的「太古二輪生態系」聯合展區。...

2026重機展盛事！太古二輪生態系精英盡出：哈雷雙旗艦、Vespa 80周年特仕版與英倫/北歐重機震撼亮相

[avsmotorcyclegprixnews]

Maverick Vinales says He is Done with KTM after his 2027 Contract was declared Invalid

Maverick Vinales says his relationship with KTM is effectively over after his alleged contract for the 2027 season was later declared invalid. According to Vinales, he had signed an agreement with KTM, only to be informed weeks later that it would not be honoured, leaving his future in the series uncertain.

Maverick Vinales said he has no intention of holding further discussions with KTM about his future. Instead, he is keeping an open mind about opportunities outside the premier class while focusing on taking a break after the season.

As Vinales said.

"Not anymore. I'm not going to talk to them. I think last week were the final terms. So after that, obviously I don't talk anymore. I don't know. I think on the bike I did everything I could. Obviously, there may be good opportunities or there may not. I don't know. I'm not even looking for them, in other categories. Maybe I want to race and enjoy racing. But at this moment, I'm not looking for anything. I'm looking for an amazing holiday.

So I asked KTM about it and then, when I arrived at Mugello, they sent me a contract. They sent it to my email. And I signed it. Okay, the truth is that it wasn't good at all [the contract]. But in any case, I wanted to race. I really believe in KTM's engineers. That's why, even though it was against my own interests, I signed it.

And two weeks later, they told me it wasn't valid. What can you expect after that. I don't want to stay here. They didn't take it seriously. That's why I feel outside the world of motorcycling. The problem is that, for me, it's difficult to put all motorcycles in the same circle. Because I love racing, I love motocross. I'd love, maybe in the future, to take part in other races."

[avsmotorcyclegprixnews]

Tech3 Boss would like to redesign the Bikes for 2027 as they look too similar to the Factory Team Bikes

Following KTM's financial difficulties, one of the manufacturer's goals was to increase the visibility of its brand. Part of that strategy involved Tech3, with the satellite team's motorcycles being given a livery that looked almost identical to the factory KTM bikes.

That approach was introduced under former Tech3 Team Principal Herve Poncharal. However, current Tech3 boss Gunther Steiner would like to change it by giving the team's bikes a more distinctive identity.

Gunter Steiner believes the current design is too similar to the factory machines and does not do enough to promote the Tech3 brand. Instead, Steiner hopes to achieve a clearer visual separation through a different sponsor line-up and branding.

As Steiner said.

"We’re looking at commercial sponsors. Red Bull will certainly no longer feature as prominently on our motorbikes as it has this year. I don’t know whether they’re still involved or not, and I haven’t spoken to them about it yet, but it certainly won’t be as prominent as it is now.

It’ll be a completely different situation for us next year. We’ll find our own sponsors. We’re working on it, and we’re actually making good progress. Of course, we’ll let you know when we have something to announce, but at the moment things are actually looking pretty good."

"When you join a new team, I don’t yet know everyone who works here, and I have to work out where they work – for us or for KTM. You have to look at their shirt and really take a close look to see which team they’re from. That’s strange.

I mean, at the moment it’s one identity. All I know is that we want to do things differently in future. We want to collaborate with KTM, and we want to work together."

[avsmotorcyclegprixnews]

Alex Marquez talks about signing with KTM for 2027 after Ducati focused on Pedro Acosta for Factory move

Alex Marquez will return to a factory team in the 2027 season after signing with KTM. Marquez is set to partner Fabio Di Giannantonio, forming what looks to be one of the strongest rider pairings on the grid.

Alex Marquez admitted that leaving Gresini Racing was not an easy decision, but he felt the move was necessary to secure factory status and the additional support that comes with it. Marquez also acknowledged that Ducati had made Pedro Acosta its priority for the future, a decision he said he fully understood.

As Marquez said.

"I’m excited. After finishing as runner-up last year, I’ve been trying to secure a place on a works team. It wasn’t an easy decision. I promised Nadia that if anyone came, I’d explain it to her first. ‘You may be in a satellite team, but you’re on a factory contract. Just last year, the bike could be completely different from the first race to the third.

That’s exactly why a factory team was so important to me. They [Ducati] were fully focused on signing Pedro. I accept that; it’s normal. Pedro is the future Moto GP champion; he’s young – I’m already 30 and in a different situation. But I wanted this; I was convinced."