The KTM Rally boss Hans Trunkenpolz speaking

What are the effects of the shorter distances between the tank stops?

Hans Trunkenpolz:
The maximum distance between the tank stops has been reduced from 350 km to 250 km. This means a decrease of 16 – 18 litres of fuel on board that leads to a weight reduction of at least 16 kg.

This is explained as follows: A rider starts with a full tank and notices that the handling of the bike gets better with the decreasing fuel mass, and he is able to ride a lot faster short before approaching the tank stop.

The tank stop takes 15 minutes, which can be used as a recovery time for the rider and the machine, and also to evaluate the rider’s position compared to his competitors.

If there is the need to ride on with full speed to uphold the position, the biggest danger comes from the rider underestimating the weight increase from the refuelling. This means that on simple tracks serious crashes cant be ruled out, even with the lower distance of 250 km it is a big threat but 16 kg less weight mean 30 % more safety.

When riding in a rally, is the individual performance of the rider only relevant?

Hans Trunkenpolz:
An overall victory at the Dakar means more than just the top performance of the rider. An important factor is the team behind from the mechanic up to the team manager everybody has to work hard. Our support crew consists of more than 40 people separated on seven trucks and six AWD vehicles, which accompany the rally.

After having finished the stage distance with the support vehicle, the crew starts to set up the camp and begins with the preparations of the bikes for the next day.

This shows the importance of a strong team behind the rider. A strong rider can only win with a strong team. With 5 consecutive Dakar victories it is clear that KTM has one of the strongest teams in field.

What are the reasons that KTM supports a Junior Team for the first time in 2006?

Hans Trunkenpolz:
The spectacular success of Pedrosa, Elias and other young talents in the Moto GP 125 and 250 classes shows that an early integration of them in professional sponsor teams quickly leads to good performances. All our Junior activities together with Red Bull where successful and it is part of the KTM history to build up young talents for the sport. Riders in the Junior Team can easily find their way to the top without having any pressure to succeed. But even without this pressure Top 12 positions are expected.

Which part do sponsors play for the KTM factory appearance?

Hans Trunkenpolz:
Good communication with the main sponsors only results from a long-term cooperation. Each of the partners has to play their own roll.

KTM has the job to develop competitive material, engage top riders and finally to win. The whole package makes it interesting to enter.

A sponsor supports the entire development of the factory team and therefore gets ongoing media coverage of their brand. The huge Motorsport program from KTM could not be managed without strong partners.

This assumes mutual confidence, which can only be reached on both sides through success.

Which rank does Customer Racing have for KTM?

Hans Trunkenpolz:
A real high rank! The worldwide success of KTM is based on the fact, that new developments used by the factory teams are deployed in series products within the next two seasons.

KTM is the only motorcycle manufacturer that produces the successful rally bikes in small numbers for the private rider “ready to race�.

Our customers appreciate the assistance of the customer support team, its spare parts supply, the available technical assistance and help even in hopeless situations.

KTM-Sportmotorcycle AG