Key KTM engine designer captured by MotoGP rival factory?

HRC has reportedly acquired the German engineer Kurt Trieb to head up its powertrain development, including for its MotoGP project.

Trieb currently works as the head of KTMs racing engine development team in Munderfing. KTM’s engine is considered one of the most performant in MotoGP, and it remains the Austrian brand that holds the MotoGP top speed record at 366.1kph (227.5mph).

At present, there is no confirmation from either Honda or KTM of the switch for Trieb, but German publication Speedweek, historically a reliable source for information on KTM, reports that the move is “considered certain”.

Trieb is expected work as part of a new HRC technical group headquartered in Italy as the Japanese brand looks to push back towards the front of MotoGP, having gone without a title since 2019.

It would be a move for Trieb that would see him continue in a similar role as that he currently holds at KTM, as he would become the manager of the new Italy-based group.

It would not necessarily be a move into a MotoGP-specific role for the German engineer, though, who oversees the team responsible for all of KTM’s racing engines in his current position, from the RC16’s V4 to the single-cylinder unit in the Moto3 bike and even the engines used in the 450 Rally machines on the Dakar Rally and in the World Rally-Raid Championship.

From Honda’s perspective, the move is a curious one, given that KTM entered MotoGP with its initial RC16 based heavily on the RC213V.

Now, the reverse would be true, as Honda banks on Trieb to bring from KTM arguably the strongest aspect of the RC16: peak engine performance.

It would also be a confirmation of Honda’s commitment to an intercontinental approach to MotoGP engineering, similar to that adopted by Yamaha, following its capture of Italian Romano Albesiano as Technical Director from Aprilia over the winter.