In 2027, new regulations arrive in MotoGP and, with them, new engines with 850 cubic centimeters of displacement. Being a new generation of engines, manufacturers may or may not choose to radically change their current concepts.
KTM, like the vast majority of manufacturers in the field, has a V4 engine. However, it is not out of the question to go for a different concept: ‘It makes sense to look at other designs of four cylinders as well. I would not rule out a four-cylinder inline engine either,’ said technical director Sebastian Risse to SPEEDWEEK.com.
The decision has already been made, but for now the engineer has kept it a secret: ‘What I can say is that we have already decided on the engine concept, but today I cannot reveal what it is. One thing is for sure, today the Austrians have a very competitive engine. […]. It is also a fact that Kurt Trieb, a competent and experienced competition engine designer, is leading. Trieb, who was also jointly responsible for the initial design of the new BMW engine in Superbike, with the inline four-cylinder engine. […]. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if the next RC16 no longer used the V configuration’.
Risse added: ‘Even the very high effort is not an argument against a new design in an inline cylinder engine because, in any case, the new regulations mean that manufacturers will start with a completely new bike’.
