At the end of 2008 KTM officially withdrew from the now defunct 250cc World Championship because they weren’t interested in the Moto2 class, which was followed by their withdrawl from the 125cc class at the end of 2009, concentrating their efforts in Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup.
When the new Moto3 250cc four stroke category was announced, KTM made its official return to GP racingThe inaugural Moto3 championship was won by Sandro Cortese giving the Austrian manufacturer the constructors championship title, and in the upcoming 2013 World Championship, KTM and the KTM Kalex has become the weapon of choice for half the grid.
For the first official pre-season test at Valencia, Maverick Vinales on the factory 2013 KTM RC250GP – which is new bike compared to Cortese’s 2012 winning machine – was on the top of the timesheets for all three days.
KTM Engineer Wolfgang Felber, Road Racing Senior Manager, speaking about the Moto3 machine: “Basically the 2013 KTM RC250GP is a completely new bike.
The only things that have not been changed are the rear swingarm unit and the wheels.
All other components have been modified or bettered: frame, fork, tank, airbox, exhaust etc.
Several parts have been simplified because the bike could be 3 to 4 kilos lighter.
The engine received only marginal treatment because last year it already turned out to be very powerful and reliable as well.
So power is up only a little.
”The Red Bull Ajo Team was the first squad to receive the new bike and learn the assembly procedures and this is an interesting time–lapse video that condenses three-days of work on two bikes into less than three minutes.