KTM to pull out of Dakar race from 2010

Vienna June 29, 2009 - Austrian motorcycle maker KTM, the dominating brand in the Dakar Rally, will pull out of the race from 2010 because of rule changes, the Austrian press agency APA reported Friday. The decision came after the rally's organizers had said Thursday that only motorcycles with a maximum engine capacity of 450 cc would be allowed to start for professional competitors from 2010. KTM uses bigger engines.

The company said it had not received any advance warning. "Every sport regulation needs changes and adjustments to new developments to retain an interest in it, but this also require the appropriate lead times," KTM's motor sport advisor Heinz Kinigadner said.

The motorcycle winner of this year's rally, Spain's Marc Coma, drove a KTM, as did the winners in the seven previous races. Around half of the Dakar motorcyclists drove KTM this year, when the rally was organized in Latin American instead of North Africa for the first time.