KTM boss Neumeister: “I don’t know how long we’ll be given the leeway without showing results”

Following the conclusion of the restructuring proceedings for KTM AG, which had slipped into insolvency at the end of 2024, it was officially announced at the end of May 2025 that minority shareholder and production partner Bajaj would provide the Mattighofen-based company with the necessary funds to repay the debt settlement instalment, which, following a write-down, still amounted to 30 per cent of the original sum of around 1.6 billion euros. The lion’s share of 566 million euros was provided by Bajaj as part of a loan, which was later converted into shares. On 23 October 2025, the Austrian Takeover Commission announced that Bajaj was permitted to acquire this block of shares – thereby gaining control of what was then Pierer Mobility, the parent company of KTM AG.

Bajaj had little understanding of motorsport

Almost a year has passed since then. At the end of September, Bajaj’s Chief Financial Officer, Dinesh Thapar, travelled from India to Spielberg to attend a MotoGP event for the first time, in order to see for himself just how important racing is for KTM and its sales.

“At the start, there was little understanding of motorsport,” said KTM Managing Director Gottfried Neumeister in an interview with SPEEDWEEK.com. “They come from the world of commuters, where sales are driven by price; there, different attributes are important than here. It took me several trips to India to convince them. We couldn’t have made our commitment to MotoGP for the next five years without their backing. I’ve been given the go-ahead from the top to set up an independent team, so Bajaj hasn’t taken over the management. There were also rumours that production would be moved to India, but there is a clear commitment to Austria. We have over 440 engineers who design top-class products and set new standards.”

You have to use data to demonstrate how motor racing has a positive impact on sales figures.

Gottfried Neumeister

Neumeister continues: “I’m free to choose the board members; for the first 18 months I was effectively on my own because I couldn’t make the job appealing to anyone. They told me: ‘Gottfried, you’re a nice bloke, but sort out the insolvency before I quit my job.’ Now we’re well positioned; Bajaj is happy to have the big picture, and we’re taking care of the show. But of course, it all depends on us delivering results. I don’t know how much leeway we’ll have if we fail to deliver results and make progress. You can always ask why we need motor racing and why we spend so much money on it when 500 people are being made redundant. Then you have to use data to prove how motor racing has a positive impact on sales figures. ‘Winning on Sunday, selling on Monday’ works for our company. My finance director will hate me for saying this, but in motor racing you need a certain amount of generosity. If you’ve got an expert on tyres or aerodynamics, you can’t try to cut corners in those areas, because then you won’t be able to win anymore. We were in a situation where we couldn’t buy any new parts and had to race with the old ones. We had to solve this problem at KTM and restore the engineers’ confidence.”

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Gottfried Neumeister (li.) mit Ivo Schützbach

Foto: gerhard schiel

Pedro Acosta ended KTM’s dry spell

Pedro Acosta secured KTM’s first Grand Prix victory in the premier class in almost four years at his home race at the Red Bull Ring; the last time was when Miguel Oliveira triumphed in Thailand. In the overall standings, the exceptional talent from Spain sits in fourth place ahead of next weekend’s races on Lombok, behind Jorge Martin (Aprilia), Marc Marquez (Ducati) and Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia).

Successes in MotoGP have just as much of an impact on sales as the many titles KTM continues to win in off-road racing. “In the second quarter, we broke even at EBIT level for the first time in two years,” noted Neumeister. “Finally turning a profit again is a huge relief for us. None of this would be possible without so many loyal customers and the dealers who support us, as well as the people in Mattighofen who stand by this brand and are willing to go the extra mile to make a contribution. However, we must keep our feet on the ground; one good quarter does not make for a good balance sheet. And two good quarters do not make for a healthy company. Everyone is watching us, and we must prove that this is sustainable.”

The KTM CEO concluded: “When I look at the market around us, the other European manufacturers are posting losses in the first half of the year. Of course, everyone is now saying that we’re coming from a lower base; nevertheless, it’s very encouraging that we’re outperforming the market and have sold almost 100,000 motorbikes. Volume isn’t everything; we must first become profitable before we can scale up the business. We’re on the right track, and all our new products are being well received. The company’s future depends on this.”