Feb142013February 14, 2013September 19, 2013by Adam Wheeler

Moto3 2013 almost a ‘GO’!

Posted in Racing

When the Moto3 World Championship started last year a total of nine bikes (five KTM and four Kalex KTM) participated with ‘power’ made in Mattighofen. This season those numbers have practically doubled. No less than 16 riders from the 33-strong grid are going to use KTM technology in 2013.

Ana Carrasco from Spain, soon to be 16 years old, will be the only female racer in Moto3. She starts her first GP season alongside Maverick Viñales in the JHK T-Shirt Laglisse Team with a KTM RC250R Production machine. Viñales, who is going to ride a factory KTM, is one of the favourites for the title along with Spanish compatriot Luis Salom, who switched to Red Bull Ajo KTM Team to take the place of world champion Sandro Cortese; the German stepping up to Moto2. Also one of the Moto3 contenders is young German Jonas Folger, the most successful Kalex KTM rider in 2012.

Besides Ana Carrasco, Alex Marquez will be another of the Moto3 rookies. The younger brother of double world champion Marc Marquez won the Spanish Moto3 series last year and also contested the second half of the world championship, collecting 27 points and also setting a fastest lap. Eric Granado will steer a Kalex KTM, as well as Red Bull Rookies Cup Champion Florian Alt and fellow German Philipp Öttl, who finished fourth in the 2012 Red Bull Rookies standings. Both will embark on their first full GP campaign. The list of ‘Orange’ racers in 2013 reads as follows:

 

KTM

Red Bull Ajo KTM
# 39 Luis Salom (E)
# 61 Arthur Sissis (AUS)
# 63 Zulfahmi Khairuddin (MAL)

Avant Tecno
# 31 Niklas Ajo (FIN)

Estrella Galicia 0’0
# 12 Alex Marquez (E)
# 42 Alex Rins (ESP)

JHK T-Shirt Laglisse
# 22 Ana Carrasco (E)
# 25 Maverick Vinales (E)

 

KALEX-KTM

Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3
# 57 Eric Granado (BRA)
# 94 Jonas Folger (GER)

RW Racing GP
# 53 Jasper Iwema (NL)
# 84 Jakub Kornfeil (CZ)

Kiefer Racing
# 9 Toni Finsterbusch (GER)
# 66 Florian Alt (GER)

Marc VDS Racing Team
# 11 Livio Loi (BEL)

Paddock TT Motion
# 65 Philipp Öttl (GER)

 

text by Philipp Grünberger

pix by Friedrich Weisse