KTM Ready to Race - in FIM Superstock 1000 World Cup
 KTM,
which has only just celebrated the rollout of the brand new
1190-RC8 Street Superbike, will have it on the track in Valencia
on Sunday to compete in its first professional FIM Superstock
1000 World Cup race.
The move underlines the KTM philosophy of always being "Ready
to Race" as well as the company's entry into the most
competitive and sophisticated motorcycle segment. The RC8,
eagerly awaited by the market and very positively received,
will have young Austrian Rene Maehr onboard racing for the
KTM Maehr Superstock team. The action-packed racing series
is a magnet for race-hungry, talented young riders and is
recognised in the Superbike World Championship paddock as
highly competitive.
Talented new rider
Although the RC8 has only just been released, the KTM Maehr
Superstock team was already in Valencia for three days of
testing in March. Putting the new machine in the capable hands
of the 21-year old Rene is an indication of his potential
on the racetrack and the high regard with which he is held
at KTM. Maehr, who gets to race on his favourite circuit in
Monza, Italy in race three, has set himself a target of a
top 10 finish this season.
Part of Research and Development
KTM welcomes this new extension to its professional road racing
activities. The company however goes into the 10-event FIM
Superstock 1000 World Cup season viewing it as part of its
research and development program directly connected to its
entry into the Street Superbike segment. Apart from racing
faring, tyres and exhaust, the Superstock World Cup allows
almost no modifications to the series machines. As such it
represents a perfect "living laboratory" for the
KTM R&D department to study the 1190-RC8 and its performance
in the rarefied atmosphere of the racing circuit.
Following Valencia the Superstock Grand Prix series visits
most of Europe's top racing circuits: Assen, Monza, Nuerberg,
Misano, Brno, Brands Hatch, Donington, Magny Cours and concludes
in November in Portmao in Portugal.
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