The departure of Jorge Martín pushed KTM to conclude “serious contracts”

Stefan Pierer, CEO of KTM, has played a key role in recent days to unblock the situation of Raúl Fernández. It allowed the young Spanish rider to sign with RNF and Aprilia, after agreeing to lower the termination clause of the contract that bound Fernández to KTM until the end of 2023, several months after he announced his wish. to leave.

The case of Raúl Fernández is just one of the many conflicts KTM has had with its riders when it comes to agreeing on their starting conditions. We can cite the example of Pol Espargaró, when he signed with Honda for the 2021 season, or Remy Gardner, current teammate of Fernández, who expressed his bitterness in a sibylline sentence two weeks ago. in Austria.

But, of all of them, there is one case that will have left its mark on KTM: that of Jorge Martín, whom the brand had no other choice but to let go to Ducati two years ago, when he was promised a promotion in MotoGP on the RC16. The Spaniard took advantage of a loophole in his contract caused by the exceptional circumstances linked to the COVID-19 pandemic to invalidate the renewal clause that KTM intended to activate, and he thus freed himself to join Pramac and the Italian manufacturer. .

This episode prompted the Mattighofen manufacturer to strengthen the conditions under which its pilots are released, which Raúl Fernández would then pay the price. “Martín’s case will not happen again. He is the reason why we are now establishing serious contracts, which clearly stipulate that any pilot who wants to leave and who has a contract in force must pay a certain amount to do so”, explains Stefan Pierer to Motorsport.com.

And the Austrian boss adds: “We released Jorge because he’s a good boy and we didn’t want to hinder his career. But we were the ones who let him go.” A version of the facts which does not correspond exactly to what the entourage of the pilot says, which ensures that the discussions had not been entirely friendly.

What if all these entanglements were, to some extent, counterproductive for the brand’s image? Stefan Pierer rejects all responsibility for the behavior of the pilots and their entourage.

“Let’s be clear: if the behavior of the pilot does not correspond to the values ​​of our family, we will no longer think of him. This was the situation of Raúl and his family. We already had the experience of complicated parents, starting with Casey Stoner Or with Miguel’s father [Oliveira]who is not the easiest person to get along with. KTM invests a lot in them, but the relationship and respect must be two-way,” he explains.

KTM seems in any case to take very badly, more than any other manufacturer, the fact that its employees may wish to leave. And it’s not just about the riders: the departure of one of Mattighofen’s MotoGP technicians to competition has also led to the introduction of penalties for team members.

Read also: