Home Grand Prix time! 2024 is the ninth year in a row that MotoGP™ visits the sweeps and climes of the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg. As the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team and KTM fans and staff get ready to head south for round eleven of the 2024 campaign here are a few rapid stats, facts and trivia you might not have been aware of…
By Adam Wheeler
1) The first Grand Prix von Österreich at the Red Bull Ring was in 2016…but was actually the third time the world championship had seen action at the circuit after races in 1996 and 1997 when the venue was known as the A1-Ring. Grand Prix racing was then run under the old 125, 250 and 500cc format so 2016 marked a series of ‘firsts’: the first time Red Bull Ring had seen motorcycle competition after a period of renovation from 2004 to 2011, the first time MotoGP came to town and the first time that KTM officially confirmed their entry to MotoGP. The company made their debut wildcard appearance at Valencia three months later and commenced their maiden season in 2017.
2) Red Bull Ring has just 10 corners: the lowest amount for one circuit in the championship. The course used to be one of the fastest in the series but the installation of the ‘2a’ and ‘2b’ chicane turns in 2022 – added to slow the ultra-rapid approach to the tricky Turn 390-degree right hander - caused MotoGP lap-times to rise by over five seconds.
3) MotoGP has been going to Red Bull Ring for eight years but there have been ten Grands Prix in that time. How come? The flexibility of the championship during the Covid-19 pandemic saw 2020 and 2021 entertain both Austrian and Styrian races in the same season, essentially back-to-back meetings.
4) Red Bull Ring has been quite special for KTM. Aside from the 2016 presentation by CEO Mr Pierer (who predicted that the factory would be winning in five years when only four seasons were needed for the first MotoGP ‘P1’) the circuit has delivered two Grand Prix victories: Miguel Oliveira’s 2020 success and Brad Binder’s unforgettable last lap wet weather gamble with dry tires in 2021. Binder has won twice at the track; the other occasion coming in Red Bull KTM Ajo colors in Moto2 in 2019. Austrian machinery has ruled Moto3 for the last four years and 2023 was a bit special because Deniz Öncü’s thrilling triumph represented KTM’s 100th in the class. Thanks to all three world championship divisions, the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup and the Northern/Austrian Talent Cup (now KTM Junior Cup powered by ADAC), previous Austrian Grands Prix have seen almost 100 KTM race motorcycles circulating the Spielberg tarmac in one weekend.
5) Only two brands have won at Red Bull Ring; KTM being one of those. Which KTM MotoGP riders have finished on the podium there at some point in their careers? The list is pretty long: Brad Binder, Jack Miller, Pol Espargaro (who makes a wildcard appearance for 2024), Miguel Oliveira and Dani Pedrosa.