15 FROM 20: KTM'S MOST SUCCESSFUL RACE MOTORCYCLE ADDS ANOTHER FIM MX2 MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TO THE PILE



Adamo’s haul of 10 podiums from 18 Grands Prix (so far) in his first term wearing Red Bull KTM colors and his third year in the Grand Prix category was enough to ensure sufficient points for the crown. Adamo became the tenth different rider to stamp P1 with the KTM 250 SX-F since Ben Townley earned the bike’s first ‘gold plate’ in 2004. He is the first Italian to do so for KTM and joins Townley, Tyla Rattray, Marvin Musquin, Ken Roczen, Jeffrey Herlings, Jordi Tixier, Pauls Jonass, Jorge Prado and Tom Vialle on the honors list. 

The KTM 250 SX-F was created and raced for the first time in 2003 and for the first world championship when 4-strokes were allowed to compete with 2-strokes. The motorcycle became part of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing line-up for its full inaugural campaign in 2004 and had an instant impact. 

In 2022, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing were MX2 world champions with Tom Vialle for the second time. The Frenchman moved to the North American wing of the racing program and the squad ‘reset’ for 2023 with 20-year-old Adamo signed to race alongside the same-aged Liam Everts, also new to the team and accompanied by Grand Prix rookie Sacha Coenen. Vialle’s former mechanic, Harry Norton, took over the Team Technical Co-Ordinator role for the first time and helped guide a new roster of team staff. Joel Smets continued his pivotal role as Team Trainer and coach. MXGP legend Tony Cairoli lent his vast experience as Team Manager. 

Heading into the Maggiora weekend Adamo and Everts had both already achieved their maiden Grand Prix wins with the KTM 250 SX-F during 2023. Adamo’s consistency and maturity ensured that he held the red plate as championship leader from round eight. Everts’ 8 podiums also helped the young Belgian rise to 2nd place in the standings. 

3rd position at the historic Italian venue ensured Adamo’s entry into the record books, maintained Red Bull KTM’s magnificent run in MX2 and cemented the horsepower and versatility of the KTM 250 SX-F. 

“It is pretty amazing looking at the records,” commented KTM Motorsports Director Pit Beirer. “There was a point this summer when I looked at the past statistics and thought ‘wow, we’ve won so much’. Somehow, with the strength of our development team, the strength of the race team and the riders we can get on board, we are able to keep fighting for this title quite often. It’s the result of a combination of factors and a credit to everybody involved.” 

Andrea Adamo: “This really is like a dream. Thank you to everyone. I came to Maggiora not thinking about the GP win and mainly about the first chance to take the title. I’m really happy with my motos. They were very consistent even though I didn’t have the best starts. It wasn’t easy but I just wanted to enjoy the races. An unbelievable day for me. Maybe I got lucky at times this season but every single race I tried to do the maximum I could: sometimes it is P2, sometimes P5 and sometimes P1. Nothing more. I can accept when someone is faster than me and I held this strategy all season; now I’m world champion!” 

Robert Jonas, KTM Vice President Offroad Racing: “A big congratulations to Andrea and all of the team. For us it is very important that we live ‘ready to race’. That is where it starts. We build the bike together with our engineers with top riders in mind but also for the hobby rider. We want a bike that is easy to use but with a lot of power. Now that’s easy to wish for, but not so easy to do! I think we have had a consistent push to reach that. We don’t want a super-rocket that nobody else can ride apart from young racers like Andrea or Liam or Sacha. If you have that easy-but-strong bike then it means you can bring guys into the team and they can immediately go fast. But that’s still not enough to win a title; you need a strong program in every area. It’s what we have and what we’ve tried to install for many years now.” 

Pit Beirer, KTM Motorsports Director: “I think our team has a soul or a spirit. There is a basic hunger to win and anyone who goes near it is there for one reason only. Somehow the team creates a cool atmosphere. Last year, last summer, I was worried when we made some big changes. The package is strong but if you change a lot of personnel then there is also a risk. We knew we needed a ‘restart’ and thought about the future but the young guys that we brought up have delivered so much excitement. Young team, new mechanics, a next generation of technicians, especially for things like electronics development: there is a lot of young blood. Of course, you need a strong bike in every area. For example, if you over-jump then you need the most resistant suspension but to save energy then you also need the softest and most effective suspension. It is not so simple, and it is a huge effort that we take very seriously. I think also we kept the promise that when we expanded the motorsports department we would not forget where we came from. We never stopped thinking about the next KTM 250 SX-F, and I know what is in the pipeline. We will never sit still in that class.”

For the celebration YouTube video click HERE.