READY TO RACE: WP PERFORMANCE SYSTEMS & KTM SHARE MOTO2 PROJECT

WP Performance Systems will begin testing an own motorcycle this week, which together with KTM, is being developed for the Moto2 World Championship. The aim is to close the gap between activities in the Moto3 World Championship and the MotoGP class.

WP Performance Systems, like KTM, Husqvarna and Pankl belong to Cross Industries AG. The company headquarters are located in Austria’s Munderfing right next door to the KTM Factory Racing Division. In addition to the series production of suspension elements, cooling systems, frames and exhausts, motorsports is one of the most important areas of WP’s business. Last season WP, with Johann Zarco, won the Moto2 World Championship for the first time using in-house developed suspension elements. Inspired by this excellent cooperation, the group has now energized the two companies to join together to advance to the obvious next level in the shared Moto2 project.

On behalf of KTM, WP has already produced all the chassis for the Moto3 teams and for the successful Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. For KTM’s MotoGP project, WP has manufactured many of the extremely specialized components, right up to the chassis. Now the WP Racing Department is developing a complete motorcycle for the Moto2 World Championship. The first roll-out was today at the Spanish circuit at Almeria.

Stefan Pierer (CEO Cross Industries AG): “The Moto2 project has a great significance for us. Through our growth and long-term investments we are in a position to close this final gap in our activities in the sport of Grand Prix road racing. A young rider can gather his first experience in the Rookies Cup and then advance to our own in-house Moto3 team, then further, via the new Moto2 project into the MotoGP class. These are concepts that have repeatedly proved to be successful for KTM and WP in professional racing, and in the future we want to have riders for our MotoGP project that have advanced right through the entire KTM Academy.”