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posted August 21, 2005 08:30 AM
Team Roberts reacts to KTM announcement
 After KTM announced their decision to stop supplying engines to Team Roberts in MotoGP, the Banbury-based outfit gave its view on the situation:
Simultaneously with the public on August 12th, KTM informed its partner, Team Roberts, through a press release that it is going to cancel all its activities in relation to the current racing season in the MotoGP series.
KTM thereby is in breach with its initial commitment to participate through Team Roberts in the 2005 racing season. In contrast to KTM's recent press release, in which it sought to present itself merely as an engine supplier, the cooperation between KTM and Team Roberts was supposed to be a partnership on equal footage. KTM not only undertook to contribute the engines, electronics, tires and the costs for the team rider, but also committed to share the responsibility for the funding of the team's budget for the racing season 2005. This budget was arrived at and agreed upon between KTM and Team Roberts representatives in early February.
There were no additional requests for funding by Team Roberts over and above the original agreed upon amounts, only requests for on-schedule payments that were never received.
Team Roberts has acted honourably and in good faith to fulfil the obligations that were agreed with KTM. Team Roberts would not begin a project such as this without funding in place to complete the obligations to Dorna and our other sponsors for the entire season.
Both parties were perfectly aware that a participation of Team Roberts in the 2005 racing season would not have been a viable option without KTM's technical support and funding. In reliance on KTM's commitment as a strong and equal team partner, Team Roberts decided to engage in the racing season 2005.
At first, KTM effectively announced its cooperation and "the agreement reached" with Team Roberts. In fact, KTM also put considerable effort in this cooperation with Team Roberts in the current racing season. However, contrary to the other racing series, in which KTM participates, the expected success in the MotoGP series did not materialize.
Against this background and due to internal strategic business decisions and alternative allocation of resources as announced by KTM in its recent press release, KTM decided to pull out of the cooperation with Team Roberts in the middle of the current racing season and to disregard its commitments with Team Roberts.
As KTM has not only failed to deliver competitive engines in the current racing season, they have also failed to live up to their funding responsibilities and choose to breach their commitment to supply engines, electronics, tires and a rider to Team Roberts 2005 MotoGP efforts.
As we celebrate our 20th season of participation in motorcycle racings' premier category, Team Roberts will continue to assist in the professionalism and development of our sport. We are passionate about MotoGP and although our success during the past few years has been mixed and our views not always agreed, we have tried to succeed in a way which we believe may benefit the sport in the future, and we have committed 110% to our goals.
Obviously the departure of KTM creates severe problems for us and we will address the situation with our best efforts to continue in the championship.
We would like to thank all of our fans and motorcycle industry colleagues who have expressed support to us and encourage our continued participation. We also want to thank our suppliers and colleagues, who have been extremely patient in light of our current circumstances.
See you in Brno!
Source: Team KR
   
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trenace
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posted August 21, 2005 04:42 PM
 Edited By: trenace on 21 Aug 2005 17:43
KTM Will No Longer Supply MotoGP Engines To Team Roberts
Aug 12, 2005
From a press release issued by KTM:
Austrian motorcycle company KTM has announced that it is no longer in a position to act as engine supplier to Team Roberts in the MotoGP World Championship.
The decision was taken after careful consideration by KTM management but does not impact on KTM's participation in other FIM Road Racing categories.
KTM Chief Executive Officer, Mr Stefan Pierer, has confirmed that the company will continue to enter factory teams in the 125cc and 250cc world championships.
In 2006, the KTM 250cc team will be expanded to a two rider squad following the successful debut of the new machine which finished second on the podium at last month's British Grand Prix.
And KTM's three-rider 125cc grand prix team is currently dominating that championship, with three riders in the top six of the points. KTM have won five of the nine GPs so far this season.
The decision to end the supply of the KTM 990cc, V4 engine is based on a number of factors, including the change to the new 800cc MotoGP engine regulations in 2007.
For 2005 KTM's sole aim was to be an engine supplier to a fully operational team. The company's primary interest was engine supply, and not to support a factory-backed KTM MotoGP team.
Team Roberts were free to raise additional sponsorship and funding for the project. KTM recognises that this undertaking has not been an easy task.
To assist the project further KTM made available significant, and additional funding, over and above the cost of engine supply.
KTM contracted and paid team rider Shane 'Shakey' Byrne and agreed to fund the supply of Michelin tyres for the MotoGP season.
KTM's current budgets do not allow for any request for funding over and above these three key areas -engine supply, rider contract and cost of tyres.
KTM management also considered the impact of short-term investment in further development of the 990cc motor, which would become extinct at the end of the 2006 season.
For 2007, another significant investment would be required for an all-new 800cc motor for the MotoGP championship.
For these reasons, and in an effort to focus on their 125 and 250 GP projects, KTM has decided to cease MotoGP engine supply. In light of the new 800cc regulations any future involvement in MotoGP will be taken after a further assessment of the competition requirements best suited for the promotion of the KTM brand.
KTM would like wish Team Roberts every success in its future racing endeavours.
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trenace
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posted August 21, 2005 08:58 PM
Edited By: trenace on 22 Aug 2005 23:27
I really would have to see copies of the contracts and the facts before knowing what the real scoop is in this "he said, she said" story.
Lacking that, actually I find it pretty dubious that KTM or any major company would just flat-out renege on a clear contract with anybody that has the money for lawyers, as Roberts does.
My guess is, Team KR did not get the bail-out that, despite their press release, I presume they wanted when, first, Proton either backed way down or got out entirely (I don't see them listed as a sponsor anymore) and second, the dollar dropped against the Euro thus increasing their costs.
And, KTM seeing the continued miserable performance and on top of that facing total redevelopment costs with the new 800 cc rule decided that rather than up the ante they'd rather cut totally unproductive losses and just do the minimum to satisfy the contract, which apparently is to pay for the tires and for Shane Byrne. (I am assuming that they actually are doing the minumum the contract requires rather than reneging as the Team KR press release intimates.)
My impression, not just from this but from many other things, is that Kenny Roberts has some delusion that money ought to keep coming forever, ad infinitum, when his machines not only have no hope of podium or Top 10, they have no hope of finishing within a full minute of the winner.
When the KTM deal was first announced, the claim was that the Team KR bike, with that motor, had tested as suddenly drastically faster and now actually competitive. Well, I doubt the motor went downhill from that point -- KTM would know whether the power they supplied went downhill or not -- but the bike's actual racing results and qualifying results were dismal.
Except for top speed: there the KTM-powered bike was decent, for example at the German Grand Prix it essentially equalled the Yamaha of Xaus and the Kawasaki of Hofmann; or at Catalunya basically equalled (within 2 kph) the Ducatis (!) and Roberts' Suzuki and beat Hofmann's Kawasaki. So some decent power was there but the quickness around the circuit was not. KTM therefore may have reasonably been of the opinion that nothing they could do could significantly improve the Team KR bikes' dismal placings, as power was really not the limiting factor apparently. Analysis may have revealed this to be a no-hoper program, when previously it had been thought that this was a team that could get somewhere if only they had an engine.
Let's look at Team KR's results this year, time or laps behind leader:
Estoril: 4 laps back
Mugello: -1 min 12.6 sec
Catalunya: -1 min 34.6 sec
Assen: -1 min 7.0 sec
Laguna Seca: -1 min 24.3 sec
With everything else being DNF or even worse, DNS (three of those).
Sponsors want their image to go UP when sponsoring a team, not to get an image of being associated with something that just isn't happening and pretty obviously never will be happening.
Reality sets in perhaps for Mr Roberts.
And no doubt is setting in for other once-potential sponsors: after this performance by Roberts obviously trying to destroy KTM's reputation and clearly doing his best to air the dirtiest laundry he could and, quite likely, twisting the truth in doing so, who would want to make their firm ever subject to Roberts doing the same to them should they ever also decide to cut their losses in a means they found still in accord with the contract but which Roberts did not like?
And on top of this, while of course Kenny Roberts could ride a bike really fast more than 20 years ago, does anyone, anyone at all, at this point really see him and his firm as the "go to" place to make a bike go fast in world competition?
Or are there better places to go.
He may think his vitriol will destroy or significantly damage KTM but my guess is, that is a delusion and is based on twisting of the truth.
The real truth is that Team KR does not have what it takes to succeed as a competitor or to do anything positive for sponsors whatsoever and is fast on its way down the tubes. The stink he's working to raise against KTM is just the last fumes of a big turd swirling its way irreversibly down the toilet.
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