MotoGP in Spielberg

How red-white-red is the Motorcycle World Championship this year?

KTM has thousands of fans in Spielberg

(Bild: Joerg Mitter / Red Bull Content Pool)

The Motorcycle World Championship is coming to Austria for the 35th time this weekend. This time there will even be a local hero again! KTM is also coming with one more rider. What the local fans can look forward to in Spielberg.

A big dream will come true for Jakob Rosenthaler this weekend in Spielberg. The 18-year-old from Upper Austria has been given a wildcard for the Moto3 class race and will therefore make his debut in the motorcycle world championship with the German Intact GP team: "I can get a taste of it without any pressure and show what I can do," says Rosenthaler ahead of his world championship debut.

Jakob Rosenthaler makes his debut in Spielberg

(Bild: Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP Team)

Red-white-red drivers have been few and far between for decades. Since the turn of the millennium, only five Austrians have donned the helmet in a world championship race. Only two of them were allowed to serve as regular riders - most recently Upper Austrian Max Kofler, who contested the last of his 32 Moto3 races in Misano in October 2021.

Long dry spell
Austrian fans have been waiting for a victory in a Grand Prix since August 24, 1986, when Gustl Auinger claimed the 13th and so far last success for an Austrian in Misano. There has never been a home win in history - neither at the Salzburgring nor in Spielberg.

Michi Ranseder was once even allowed to drive along the Vienna Ringstrasse in a Shworun

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

However, the fans have one local constant: KTM. The global company from Mattighofen conquered its first world championship title in the Moto3 class twelve years ago and has also been involved in the premier MotoGP class since 2017, where it has won seven times since then.

KTM is lagging behind form
Bitter news for the home fans: KTM is currently in a form crisis in MotoGP. No Austrian motorcycle has finished on the podium since the third race of the season in Austin. This run of seven consecutive races outside the top three is the longest dry spell in two years. KTM has been waiting for a win since October 2, 2022, and the last of the two home victories in Spielberg was even a year longer ago.

Austria and the Motorcycle World Championship

Races: 34 (22 at the Salzburgring, 12 in Spielberg)
GP victories: 13 (Rupert Hollaus and Gustl Auinger - 5 each, Bert Schneider, Edi Stöllinger, Gerd Kafka - 1 each)
World champion: Rupert Hollaus 1954 (125cc class)

Austrians with World Championship starts since 2000:
Max Kofler (32 starts, last time 24.10.2021 in Misano)
Martin Bauer (2 starts, last 10.11.2013 in Valencia)
Michael Ranseder (68 starts, last 7.11.2010 in Valencia)
Philipp Eitzinger (2 starts, last 30.6.2007 in Assen)
Yves Polzer (6 starts, most recently 31.6.2005 at the Sachsenring)

In addition to the four regular riders Brad Binder, Jack Miller, Pedro Acosta and Augusto Fernandez, noble tester Pol Espargaro will also tackle the Grand Prix for KTM this weekend. "Because of the track, the fans, the atmosphere and because this race means so much to KTM, it feels a bit like a home race," said the Spaniard.

Austrian GP secured for a long time
Unfortunately, spectator interest has recently declined due to the coronavirus crisis. While around 200,000 spectators were the standard at the Red Bull Ring until 2019, this figure has stabilized at around 170,000 fans in the past two years. However, Austria has secured its place on the calendar until 2030! The contract with MotoGP was only extended two months ago.