KTM Motorsport Director Pit Beirer explains why Luca Marini is the ideal rider for Tech3—the Italian can help with the bike’s development
Three of the four KTM riders for the 2027 MotoGP season have been officially confirmed. Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio will ride for the factory team. The Tech3 satellite team plans to field a combination of an experienced rider and a rookie. Luca Marini was chosen as the experienced rider.
“We’re really happy that he’s joining us,” KTM Motorsport Director Pit Beirer told MotoGP.com. “Of course, there were a lot of discussions and a lot of waiting to see how Maverick would recover from his injury.”
“So there was a lot of time during which we simply waited and watched to see what would happen next.” Since the condition of Maverick Viñales’ left shoulder did not improve, KTM decided not to sign him for next year.
After the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring in mid-July, Viñales took a break and has since been replaced by test rider Pol Espargaró. Viñales is not expected to return until his shoulder is fit enough.
For Marini, it became clear early in the season that he might not be able to stay with Honda. On the one hand, Honda signed Fabio Quartararo; on the other, Marini and Joan Mir did not receive a commitment from the team at the European season opener in Jerez.
Mir then contacted the Gresini Ducati team and quickly reached an agreement with team owner Nadia Padovani. Marini also explored his options and began talks with KTM.
“We were in constant contact with Luca the whole time,” Beirer says, looking back on the past few months. “He showed interest very early on, and I think we spoke with everyone who wanted to join us.”
“In conversations with the people around him, it became clear that Luca is truly a great guy who can also help improve the bike. I was in close contact with Günther [Steiner] the whole time about what would be best for the Tech3 team.“
”We decided very early on: We want a young rider, and we want an experienced rider. We also didn’t want to have two young riders, because this isn’t a rookie team—it’s a full-fledged, strong MotoGP team.”
The rookie on the Tech3 team has not yet been officially announced. All signs point to it being Senna Agius. The Australian has won this season’s Moto2 races in Austin and Jerez.
Beirer is convinced that the four new riders are the right candidates for the new MotoGP era with 850 cubic centimeters of displacement: “I believe in the chemistry among the four riders and their faith in the bike, their faith in the project.”
“That’s something we need to capitalize on right now to give the project a fresh start. The 850s, new riders—I think that really builds positive momentum for the future.”
The four riders won’t have much time to prepare for the new season. There will be a test day in Valencia on December 1. In February, there will be two test days in Sepang and two in Buriram. Only the Tech3 rookie will receive two additional test days during the shakedown test in Sepang.
