Fond memories for Pit Beirer: 35 years ago, he pulled off a sensational victory

The MotoGP World Championship enters the second half of the season this weekend; ahead of the races at Silverstone, Pedro Acosta is the highest-placed of the four KTM riders in seventh place overall, 60 points behind championship leader Jorge Martin (Aprilia).

For KTM racing director Pit Beirer (53), 4 August marked the anniversary of a special occasion: 35 years ago, the Ludwigshafen native won his first motocross Grand Prix at the age of just 18. He achieved this feat in the fiercely contested 125cc class, and, of all places, at his home event in Reil on the Moselle. Beirer was riding for a German team at the time – Hermann Kurz’s Suzuki squad, which went on to enjoy success in road racing a few years later.

‘Pitbull’ Beirer won Race 1 in commanding fashion, then secured the day’s victory with a steady ride in the second race, finishing second behind Bob Moore (KTM), and was greeted with frenetic cheers. For Beirer, it was his first international milestone. As a teenager, he was also greatly impressed by the successful self-made man Hermann Kurz, who had signed Beirer to a contract several years earlier and who passed away in June 2025. Speaking of Kurz, the Simbach resident says with great reverence: “I learnt a great deal from him, including everything you need to know about the sport. He was a true gentleman!”

In 1995, Beirer moved into the 250cc class with Paul Kasper’s Swiss Pamo-Honda team, where he also won Grands Prix. In 1999, Pit secured the World Championship runner-up title in Jan de Groot’s Kawasaki works team. In 2002, following a strong season with Vismara Honda, he made the move to the KTM works team. Since his crash in Sevlievo, Bulgaria, in the spring of 2003, Beirer has been confined to a wheelchair, though this has never dampened his drive.

His lung capacity had been drastically reduced

The author of these lines travelled to Gaildorf in 2003 as a young editor for Motorsport aktuell (MSa), where Beirer appeared before his fans for the first time since the accident and was presented with the ‘Rider of the Year 2002’ trophy. At the time, Pit spoke of his gruelling road to recovery. One striking fact stuck in the mind: his lung capacity had been reduced to one-seventh of its original level as a result of the accident – something that is actually almost unimaginable. What left observers in awe was, for the fighter Beirer, nothing more than a footnote. His gaze had long since been fixed on the future. During his rehabilitation in Murnau, he had recovered within a matter of weeks and was ready for his second career.

KTM adviser Heinz Kinigadner and company boss Stefan Pierer first appointed Beirer as sponsorship manager after his rehabilitation, then as communications manager. Later, the man from Baden was put in charge of racing management, succeeding Kurt Nicoll. What many people don’t know is that Beirer had already been riding for KTM as a promising young talent in his early teens; at the time, his mate Didi Lacher was chasing titles for KTM in the national series.