Aki Ajo has made a significant impact as the new KTM team manager—Brad Binder praises the new structures and also speaks positively about his brand colleagues.
Since the start of the 2025 season, Aki Ajo has taken on the role of team manager at KTM in MotoGP, and his impact is noticeable. Brad Binder, a regular rider in the factory team for years, describes Ajo’s influence as “incredible,” especially in terms of networking within the team.
“Since Aki has been here, everything has been running really smoothly. Everything is much more connected—the work of the test team, what happens at the factory, and what we do on the track. Everything new that is brought in is a bonus,“ explains Binder. He continues: ”I think he has done an incredible job of linking everything between the factory, the racing team, and the test team. We’ve made small steps and changes that have ultimately led to good progress.“
As there is still ”a list full of things“ to be implemented, Binder is confident. ”It’s exciting to see how this will develop further.”
When asked about his teammate Acosta, who has been promoted to the KTM factory team this season, Binder looks back on his rookie year: “Even though Pedro was a newcomer, he was incredibly fast on every track right from the start. He learned quickly and adapted to the MotoGP style.”
“It’s always good to have a fast teammate because you often see what you need to do differently yourself,” says the South African, who is currently a few places behind Acosta in the World Championship. Acosta is fifth, Binder is eleventh.
Binder praises Bastianini’s improvement
Unlike Acosta, who is only in his second MotoGP year, Binder is already in his sixth season. When the 30-year-old thinks back to his own beginnings, he admits: “In my first year, we probably had the best bike on the grid.”
“There were tracks where I could do things that others couldn’t. But I was a rookie and couldn’t really take advantage of it yet. In the second year, it gets more complicated; you have references and expectations, and suddenly you think too much. It’s interesting how things change over the years.”
In addition to Acosta, Binder also highlights the progress made by the other KTM riders. Enea Bastianini in particular has shown that he now understands the bike. “He’s strong on the brakes and has a very good style for getting the bike into the acceleration zone early. We’ve known this for years: when you saw him on the Ducati, he was always strong when the tires were worn or the track was difficult, for example when there was little grip.”
Bastianini has retained these strengths, but has also adapted to the KTM. “With KTM, we often have to go into corners harder, almost stop and force the bike to turn in – and Enea has now figured that out and can unleash his potential.”
