KTM engine crisis: Beirer explains why seven engines failed

• According to Beirer, a total of seven engines failed, only one of them on Pedro Acosta’s bike
• The cause was a supplier part that failed after just 50 to 100 kilometres
• The crash in Barcelona was caused by an ECU failure, not by the engine defect

2026 was supposed to be the year KTM returned to normality. The insolvency proceedings had been concluded, the racing programme was secured, and under its new majority owner Bajaj the Austrian manufacturer was working on a fresh start. Pit Beirer describes the period before that as a pure fight for survival. It was about keeping the company alive, staying in racing and rebuilding at home. Then came the next crisis, this time straight from the motorcycle itself. “This year, I thought we go back to a normality, then this engine issue almost killed us”, says Beirer.

Did the engine failure cause the crash in Barcelona?

No. According to Beirer, the incident at the Catalan GP was caused by a failure of the electronic control unit and not by the engine defect that was discovered later.

That crash was the most striking incident of the season. Acosta was leading when his RC16 suddenly lost all power. Alex Marquez ran into him from behind, there was a heavy crash and the race was red-flagged. According to Beirer, the ECU, the electronic brain that manages the engine, shut down at that moment. For a brief moment there was no signal. Back in the garage, the bike then ran completely normally again. Beirer speaks of a problem that nobody in the entire paddock had ever seen before. Electronics specialist Magneti Marelli helped track down the cause.

The timing made matters even more difficult. The ECU failure happened exactly at the stage when KTM was already struggling with its engines. On top of that came further problems with electronics and sensors. Beirer thus makes it clear that the difficulties of 2026 cannot be explained by the manufacturing defect alone.

When did KTM notice the engine problem?

The full extent became clear at the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello. Three engines failed there on a single day.

Beirer remembers the sequence of events precisely. In the morning the first engine failed. With a high-revving MotoGP engine that alone is no reason to panic; it happens to every manufacturer now and then. But two more failures followed on the same day. “And that was like, you don’t know what’s going on now”, says Beirer.

According to him, KTM lost a total of seven engines over a certain period. Acosta got off comparatively lightly: “With Pedro, we were actually a little luckier than with Brad. I think in Pedro’s case, we ultimately only lost one.”

Which component on the KTM engines was defective?

The affected part was a highly stressed component in the powertrain that KTM sources from an external supplier and that did not meet the required quality standards. KTM has not yet made public exactly which part it is.

The team got onto the trail via its old engines. After Mugello, nobody knew which engines could still be trusted. KTM therefore brought back older engines with high mileage. It was precisely this high mileage that provided the decisive clue, because the failures occurred unusually early. “Something must have been like glass or crystal, because it happened after around 50 to 100 kilometers. So it was clear that there is something in there that was not normal”, explains Beirer.

Beirer also describes the defect very vividly. At a point where there should have been a welded joint, there was, in his words, only air. Already at the Sachsenring race he had spoken publicly about a problem with a bought-in part. The defect was later classified as a quality flaw in a heavily stressed component.

Why couldn’t KTM simply open the engines?

The 2026 season is subject to the so-called engine freeze, a development stop for the engines. Ducati, Aprilia and KTM race with the homologated, i.e. officially approved, engine specification from the 2025 season, and the engines are sealed.

In principle, nothing may be changed on these engines. Exceptions are only possible for reasons such as safety or reliability, and only if no performance gain results. That is exactly what made the troubleshooting so hard. “Besides our other problem at home, this for me was the most horrible time in the MotoGP project”, says Beirer. The team had completely lost control and initially had no way of reacting. You were not even allowed to touch a single part.

In normal racing there is a simple way out in such cases: go back to the last working configuration. That option did not exist here. “You don’t understand it and you don’t know where to start. If you tune and you break things, you want to go one step back. But here, there was no step back”, says Beirer.

There was another obstacle. As long as the cause was unclear, KTM could not even ask the other manufacturers for permission, because nobody knew what actually needed to be replaced. Only once the problem was understood did KTM submit the request.

What did the other manufacturers need to see before approval?

KTM had to disclose an unusual amount of detail to its rivals, including information about the supplier, serial numbers, batch numbers and X-ray images. This was the only way to prove that the aim was to fix a defect and not to gain a competitive advantage.

All manufacturers had to agree, and that did not happen in one go. In mid-July, only Aprilia had initially signalled its support. Beirer shows understanding for the other factories’ reluctance: “I think it’s very normal because you are suspicious somebody wants to open engine. Then you go, ‘what do they want to do’.”

In the end, approval hinged on three points. KTM had to prove that there was a quality defect and not a design change, that the problem could not be solved by reducing power, and that there was a safety risk. Asked whether he had feared for the riders’ safety, Beirer answered with a clear yes. KTM first had to request some of the information from the supplier. The time difference to this supplier caused additional delays. Nevertheless, Beirer does not see the rivals’ questions as harassment. “For me, it was completely fine. There was not one stupid question”, he says.

Between the Sachsenring and Silverstone, i.e. during the summer break, approval finally came from all manufacturers. The teams’ association IRTA was involved in the process and supervised the work. Beirer expressly thanks the competition: “I’m really thankful. And this is perhaps the best place to also say thank you to all the manufacturers for giving us the green light.”

Why didn’t KTM simply reduce the revs?

According to Beirer, the problem was simply too big for that. Instead, KTM relied on the older high-mileage engines, which were known to withstand considerably more.

“The problem was too big, so we really had to switch to these older engines where we knew they could go much more. That was more effective than reducing RPM”, explains Beirer.

The consequences were nevertheless visible on track. At times KTM had to race with less engine power, which was particularly evident at Mugello. Riders and observers subsequently reported a lack of speed on the straights. Ahead of the race weekend in Misano, there was a rumour that the KTM riders would get 500 rpm back there. This was not officially confirmed.

Seven engines overhauled in Munderfing

After approval, KTM was finally able to act. A total of seven engines were opened at the engine plant in Munderfing. The defective components were replaced, after which the engines were resealed and returned to the engine pool.

This ended the phase in which KTM knew about the problem but was not allowed to intervene. The lost engines nevertheless weigh on planning for the rest of the season. By the end of August, Brad Binder had already lost three engines from his allocation, and the other KTM riders also have to manage with smaller reserves. This may mean that some of the remaining engines have to be used for longer than planned, which can cost performance.

How has Acosta performed since the repair?

Since the Aragon GP, Pedro Acosta has been on the podium at every race. Most recently he celebrated his first MotoGP win at Spielberg.

Before the race in Misano, the Spaniard was sixth in the world championship. Beirer sees the development as a sign that KTM is picking up where the problems began. “I was really happy that Pedro actually picked up in Aragon, maybe where we left off in Barcelona”, he says. Up to that race there had been a lot of hope. “We were getting closer and closer, and then this whole thing happened. I hope that from now on we can return to a normal scenario.”

How does KTM want to cut costs in MotoGP?

KTM CEO Gottfried Neumeister proposes a standard fuel from a single supplier for all teams. He wants to save money where spectators won’t notice it.

The background is the planned one-bike rule for 2027, under which each rider would only get one machine. Ducati and Aprilia are said to have been in favour and to have almost convinced KTM, Honda and Yamaha. All five manufacturers would have had to agree for it to be introduced. According to reports, the proposal failed due to KTM’s opposition. From the manufacturer’s point of view, the show should remain the focus, and cost-cutting measures must not detract from the spectacle on track.

Neumeister sees a starting point in the upcoming switch to 100 per cent sustainable fuel. Instead of each manufacturer developing its own solution, one supplier should provide the fuel for everyone. At the Austrian GP in Spielberg he said he understood Liberty Media and Dorna, because it is not only the manufacturers who can call for more money. The factories also have to make their contribution. He considers a cost cap an obvious step if no additional money can be raised. “What benefit do you lose if you have one fuel supplier and everybody works with the same basis and we are still challenged to squeeze more out of it?”, asks Neumeister.

He also points out that every manufacturer needs a partner for sustainable fuel anyway. That is laborious and costs a lot of money. It therefore makes sense to standardise an area that does not damage the show and that cannot even be seen from the outside.

Where does KTM stand financially on the MotoGP project?

Neumeister rules out selling the MotoGP team, even partially. After the financial crisis, KTM is back in profit, according to him.

In the second quarter, according to Neumeister, the company reached break-even at the level of earnings before interest and taxes, known as EBIT. That was the first time in almost two years. In the first half of the year, KTM sold almost 100,000 motorcycles. The manufacturer has signed a new five-year contract with Dorna for the coming 850cc era. Neumeister names the MotoGP title as one of the few titles KTM has not yet won.

He also speaks openly about the difficult period without a sufficient budget. At that time it was hardly possible to develop new parts at all. He expresses sympathy for the riders: “I have really great sympathy for our riders. It was not their fault, and it was not their thing, it was our own KTM thing which we had to solve.”

The remaining races of the 2026 season are therefore also a conclusion for KTM. From 2027, MotoGP begins its new era with 850cc engines and Pirelli tyres, and KTM will line up with a completely new rider line-up. Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio are set to ride for the factory team, with Luca Marini and rookie Senna Agius at Tech3.

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