COMPANY KTM AS A COMPANY It was 1934 when Hans Trunkenpolz founded a repair workshop in Mattighofen, Upper Austria. Three years later, he started selling DKW motorcycles and subsequently expanded his workshop, which became one of the largest car and motorcycle garages in Upper Austria. In 1951, the company started designing a motorcycle of its own and two years later the KTM R 100 production series was launched. The company, which now was officially called “Kronreif, Trunkenpolz, Mattighofen”, immediately took up racing and the successes started piling up. Erwin Lechner was among the riders who enjoyed victory after victory in 1960, racing the KTM motorcycle designed by engineer Rudolf Apfelbeck. KTM entered the US market with a 125cc motocross motorcycle in 1968, and word of the overseas race wins soon began to circulate in Europe. The highlights of the 1970s included the powerful 50 cc models and the first motocross World Championship title, won for KTM in 1974 by Russian rider Gennadij Moiseev in the 250 cc class. Riders Heinz Kinigadner and Trampas Parker laid the foundations for the modern KTM legend with three World Championship titles in the next decade. In 1984, KTM started to develop a liquid-cooled four-stroke motorcycle, commencing mass production of the first LC4 engine in 1987. The economy hit hard times at the end of the 1980s, and in 1991, the KTM Motorfahrzeugbau AG had to file for bankruptcy. One year later, the newly formed KTM motorcycle division KTM Sportmotorcycle GmbH re-opened under new management with a new Hard Enduro concept and sharp new design styling. Hungry for success, the company began to engage in rallye sport, launched the first Duke in 1994 and just MEDIA INFORMATION
MODEL YEAR 2013
one year later acquired both WP Suspension and the sports motorcycle manufacturer HUSABERG. Shane King‘s Motocross World Championship title in the 500 cc class and numerous other victories breathed now life into KTM’s sporting heritage. In 1999, the company moved into its newly built factory in Mattighofen. The Austrian company has been a dominating force in the legendary Dakar Rallye since 2001 and after adopting the now well known “Ready to Race” philosophy it has turned racing into the brand‘s main identifying feature. The 950 Adventure long-distance, dual-sport motorcycle made its first appearance in 2003, and in the same year, Harald Bartol led the factory racing team to success in the 125 cc road racing world championship. Shortly afterwards, KTM launched its first thoroughbred street bikes, the 990 Super Duke and the 950 Supermoto. 2008 sees the first Austrian Superbike, the fascinating 1190 RC8. KTM muscles into the IDM Superbike class only one year later, instantly winning the manufacturer’s trophy and conquering the riders’ title already in the second year. In 2011, the orange revolution continues in style. Early in January, Marc Coma wins the tenth consecutive KTM title at the Dakar Rallye. A year later, team mate Cyril Despres adjusts the internal team score to 4:3. When five-times Erzberg winner Taddy Blazusiak becomes SuperEnduro World Champion early in 2012 and starts focusing exclusively on his fourth title in the American Endurocross series, a new generation takes over on the Erzberg: young KTM pilot Jonny Walker wins the world’s toughest single-day Enduro. At the same time, the extremely successful introduction of the new Freeride 350 paves a different way into the world of Enduro for beginners
and hobby riders - because not everything has to be super tough all the time. While Tony Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings dominate the MX World Championship and Antoine Meo and Christophe Nambotin carve up the Enduro WC, newcomer Ryan Dungey celebrates historical achievements for KTM already in the first few races of the US season on the specially developed 450 SX-F, crowning himself the superior winner of the American MX Championship after a short, injury-induced break and even clinging on to a second place overall in the Supercross WC. Meanwhile, Ken Roczen and Jeffrey Herlings deliver impressive performances in their first complete season overseas in the small class, consistently performing on a world-class level in Supercross as well as Motocross and thereby demonstrating once more the winning potential of the current off-road generation from Austria. On tarmac, KTM enters two huge new venues at once in 2012. Firstly, after a short creative break, KTM once more competes in Grand Prix racing, this time in the Moto3 series. Secondly, launching the KTM 200 Duke in India and teaming up with partner Bajaj, the company enters the world’s second-largest motorcycle market, which also contributes significantly to the most successful intermediate business result in the corporate history. Prior to the press date, KTM managed to accrue no less than 219 World Championship titles. The 2012 season might still bring a further crown for Sandro Cortese who is in a position to win the first rider’s Grand Prix title in road racing for KTM. www.ktm.com
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