KTM’s Pierer brands Honda ‘most hated competitor’
KTM CEO Stefan Pierer branded Japanese manufacturer Honda as its ‘most hated competitor’ during the Austrian team’s 2017 launch event in Austria today.
KTM Factory Racing unveiled their livery for their MotoGP, Moto2 & Moto3 teams at the launch today at their new headquarters in Mattighofen, and it was whilst talking about their upcoming intermediate class campaign that Pierer took aim.
“Moto2 is cheaper than Moto3, because the engine is frozen. (The engine) is coming from my most hated competitor, Honda,” he sensationally declared.
“But I don’t have any problem with that, to cover that and put on that KTM. And from what I’ve heard, Triumph will deliver (engines from 2019) and maybe it sounds nicer.”
Pierer failed to go into any great detail as to why he holds Honda in such disregard, but he did highlight incidents in this year’s Dakar Rally and the 2015 Moto3 World Championship that left him questioning Honda’s ethics.
During the Dakar, Honda riders were handed one-hour time penalties for taking on more fuel outside of the specified areas for doing so whilst leading the event at the time.
Honda were also accused of exceeding the maximum rev limit of 13,500rpm during the 2015 Moto3 season, in which Honda rider Danny Kent won the title from KTM’s Miguel Oliveira. This claim, made by KTM’s Sports Director Pit Beirer, was later proven wrong.
“Honda is the big challenge, and secondly Honda is always trying to cheat around the regulations. Look at Dakar, what happened two months ago,” Pierer said.
“It’s always the same – also in Moto3. I don’t know why, they don’t need to do that. That’s the reason we like to beat Honda.”
KTM make their MotoGP debut as a manufacturer this season with former Tech 3 riders Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro at the helm, while also stepping into Moto2 for the first time with 2016 Moto3 world champion Brad Binder and 2015 runner-up Miguel Oliveira.