Limitation to 450cc: KTM withdraws from the Dakar Rally

As one would expect following the decision of ASO to limit the displacement of motorcycles to 450 cc to "revive the interest" of the event (read Site of June 3, 2009), KTM decided to withdraw purely. and simply the Dakar Rally!

As one would expect following the decision of ASO to limit the displacement of motorcycles to 450 cc to "revive the interest" of the event (read), KTM decided to withdraw altogether from the Dakar Rally!

"After eight consecutive victories, we have decided to immediately draw the consequences by withdrawing from the Dakar, whether with an official team or with a team supported by KTM", announces the Austrian manufacturer who will take the opportunity to "concentrate its efforts on the World Rally Championship and other important rallies ".

"This change in the rules of the game by the organizer, intended to put an end to the domination of KTM, comes without any prior warning and hits the KTM factory hard," laments the manufacturer. While admitting that "each sport requires rule changes to adapt to new developments and maintain the interest" of the public, KTM denounces the "lack of loyalty" of the organizer and mainly points to the very short period of time left to the teams: "six months before the start, when not only the official team but also dozens of private teams are in full preparation"…

The financial consequences of this decision are "enormous", regrets KTM which was preparing to produce in June the 690 of its official team and the fifty "customer" motorcycles, not to mention the contracts of the "finalized" pilots and the members of the team. already "committed".

“Maybe we will see KTM again soon on African soil, back to the roots,” concludes Winfried Kerschhaggl, KTM sporting director. But as far as the "Dakar" in South America is concerned, it is now "old history!"

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