KTM’s factory team became the latest MotoGP operation to show off its 2023 paint scheme, with the brands RC16 once again sporting a livery dominated by title sponsor Red Bull.
Revealed as part of a pre-recorded premiere video on YouTube, KTM riders Brad Binder and new signing Jack Miller were on hand to unleash their freshly-painted ’23-speciifcation bike – the scheme essentially the same it has run since the Austrian manufacturer made its MotoGP debut back in 2016 with the blue, red and yellow of Red Bull twinned with KTM’s famous orange.
Miller will run his customary #43 on the front of his RC16, while Binder will continue to campaign the #33 – the South African getting his third team-mate in only four seasons of premier class competition.
KTM will be looking to bounce back from a largely difficult ’22 term in which it frequently struggled for outright speed in qualifying, more often than not forcing its riders to start from well outside the top ten, therefore limiting its chances of fighting for top results.
The RC16’s generally strong race performance though meant it still managed to score a pair of emphatic wins with the outgoing Miguel Oliveira – both achieved in inclement conditions – while an upswing in Saturday form towards the end of the year allowed Binder to score two runners-up results in the final five outings en-route to an impressive sixth in the overall riders standings.
Oliveira was unable to score any further rostrums outside of his two successes, limiting him to tenth overall, while KTM ended the year a strong second in the teams standings behind only runaway winners Ducati Racing – with fourth in the constructors also achieved ahead of Suzuki and Honda.
