New KTM Supersport: Technical fault during the 990 RC R’s race debut at Most

Since the abolition of the Supersport 300 World Championship, KTM has ceased to be a manufacturer in the production-based world championship. However, the Saxon-based Freudenberg team is working on a comeback, namely with the 990RC-R in the Supersport World Championship. Team boss Carsten Freudenberg is currently developing a racing kit in collaboration with the Austrian manufacturer.

Following several test sessions, the KTM Supersport made its debut last weekend with test rider Jonas Folger as part of a guest appearance at the EuroMoto in Most. Securing 7th on the grid with a time of 1:36.535, the former MotoGP rider set an initial benchmark. In the World Championship, that would only have been enough for 25th place, but due to differences in the regulations, the two cannot be directly compared.

The first race didn’t go ideally in very hot conditions. “We knew and expected that we’d occasionally reach our limits in terms of the bike’s components. Of course, with an air temperature of 40 degrees today, it was the ultimate endurance test for the bike, but also for me as a rider. Unfortunately, the clutch burnt slightly at the start,” the 32-year-old told SPEEDWEEK.com reporter Thorsten Horn.

After adjusting the clutch in the pits, Folger rejoined the race for a few laps. After nine laps, the KTM rider pulled in with a personal best lap time of 1:37.248 mins. “I wanted to complete at least a few laps to have a direct comparison and gather useful data. That way, I could see the differences – where we’re still a bit short, where our strengths lie, and how the bike behaves during a race. So it was quite revealing,” said Folger. “Even so, making my first race start on the KTM was a great feeling. I’ve been involved in the project for almost two years now and have been working with the test team for a long time. In that respect, it’s really nice to be able to say that we’ve now competed in a race for the first time.”

Incidentally, the 990RC-R was entered in the 2027 World Championship specification, which calls for less engine power. “That did hurt us in terms of our position, but what was far more important was that we had a basis for comparison, from braking stability right through to cornering speed. We can definitely put this information to good use. The result is slightly skewed due to the lack of power. But we were aware of that. Next time we race, we might come with a bit more power so that we can be in the mix a bit further up the field.”

As the second race was ultimately cancelled following two red flags, the first race weekend ended earlier than planned. Folger concluded: “The main takeaway from the weekend is that we’ve collected more data than ever before – important data and a great deal of insight. We also had a technical fault; there’s no denying that. We’ve identified why it happened.”

Freudenberg is planning further guest appearances this year.