Pol Espargaro signs new two-year contract with KTM

The 2013 Moto2™ World Champion will stay with the Austrian factory in 2019 and 2020

Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) has put pen to paper to sign a new two-year deal with KTM, keeping him on the factory bike for the 2019 and 2020 MotoGP™ seasons.

The 2013 Moto2™ World Champion joined the Austrian factory when they started racing in the premier class at the start of 2017, and earned four top ten finishes in their debut season together, with a best finish of ninth coming at Phillip Island.

In Austin, Espargaro managed to secure KTM’s first Q2 spot of the 2018 season, as he and the team make positive steps forward ahead of the European stage of the season.

Pol Espargaro and KTM will look to become a formidable force in the next few years, as they continue their MotoGP™ project. The question remains as to who will join the Spaniard in the factory garage in 2019.

“It has been really easy for me to make this decision; I did not think of another possibility for even a minute," says Espargaro. "I cannot hide how happy I am being involved in this amazing project, despite the challenges and the work we still have to go through. I love the KTM philosophy and I want to continue trying to reach our goals. I don’t know when we will be able to do it, but I’m sure that we will arrive. I have to thank my whole crew for how they push and how they support me, with the leadership of my crew chief Paul Trevathan, and for sure Mike Leitner and Pit Beirer for how they strive every day. And, of course, all the people that work at the races and back at Munderfing. We are a team with an ambitious aim. I’m enjoying my best moments in the MotoGP championship, and I’m really happy to know that I’m going to continue here at least until 2020”.

“Pol has been such a strong part of our project and gave us a lot of trust and belief as well as the highlights so far with two ninth positions," adds Pit Beirer - KTM Motorsports Director. "I’m really happy we can continue together for another two years because we can build on the work we have already done and keep progressing with the bike; he should definitely be one of the people that should benefit from everything we have achieve and learned and how we will push on in the future.”