The last time a non-KTM bike won the Dakar Rally was way back in the year 2000, until Ricky Brabec broke their 18-year run on his Honda CRF450 Rally. Such is their dominance of the event.

This is no longer the only race, or sport they dominate in either. They have branched out into several motorcycling disciplines and have dominated almost all of them, having won 4 out of the last 5 Supercross seasons (the other one was won by their sister brand; Husqvarna) as well as every FIM SuperEnduro season bar 4 (won by yip, you guessed it, KTM made Husqvarnas) since its inception. It wasn’t always this way though; it took decades of pain before the fruit of success was ready to be harvested.

Now, they are taking on the world of track racing in the form of MotoGP, and if you have been paying any attention to the brand you will notice a similar pattern emerging. The seeds they planted years ago have started to bear fruit.

Where It All Started

First KTM
via Classic-Motorbikes

The history of KTM goes way back to 1934; back then it was a metalworking shop started by Hans Trunkenpolz, the business was first known as Kraftfahrzeuge Trunkenpolz Mattighofen. They produced their first R100 motorcycle in 1951 and by 1953 they became officially known as Kronreif, Trunkenpolz, Mattighofen (KTM for short).

In 1955 Ernst Kronreif became a primary shareholder and the business was renamed Kronreif & Trunkenpolz Mattighofen, forming the KTM brand we are familiar with today.

By 1963 the first Comet moped was produced. This was a significant moment as the Comet sold well and gave the company a foundation to build on.

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Penton Produced By KTM
via Motocross Action Magazine

In 1968 the Penton Six Days was built by KTM, the bike did so well in the US it prompted the company to focus much more of its resources and energy into developing dirt bikes and by 1973 they produced their first 250 Enduro bike with its very own KTM made engine (previously using SACHS engines).

From Bankruptcy To Champions

KTM LC4 660R
via Adventure Rider

By the 90s KTM was in trouble, the company had its fingers in far too many pies and as a result, filed for bankruptcy in 1991. The company was split into four separate divisions, radiators, bicycles, tooling, and of course motorcycles.

KISKA helped design motorcycles around the mighty LC4 engine, this helped revive the company in the 90s. In the year 2001 Fabrizio Meoni piloted one of these LC4 powered bikes to a Dakar victory, and since then, KTM has not let up, winning the next 18 Dakar Rallies in a row! The success in Dakar has led them to success in several other motorcycling disciplines. Between them and their sister company Husqvarna they have won all the Supercross seasons since 2015 and every single FIM SuperEnduro season since its inception back in 2007.

Their success in motor-sport has translated to sales success too, “winning on Sunday, selling on Monday.”

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Investing In MotoGP

KTM RC16 And Brad Binder
via KTM

In 2007 KTM decided they want to promote their road bikes more, for them and their “Ready To Race” mantra this meant going racing and winning. They set up the KTM GP Academy in partnership with Red Bull and have produced many top riders, one of these riders is Brad Binder.

The South African recently took KTM’s first-ever MotoGP victory. This, if you look at the template KTM has used in the past is likely to be the beginning of a long run of success for KTM in MotoGP to add to their success in all other motorcycling disciplines.

Next: The Story Behind Suzuki’s Rise To Motorcycle Greatness