KTM Restructuring Leads to Another Ex-Racer Being Dropped

KTM’s restructuring plan may have been approved at the end of February but it has not stopped major changes taking place as another ex-racer has been dropped from the Austrian company.

Jeremy McWilliams was a long-time test rider for the brand, both when it came to the MotoGP project during its early years before the likes of Mika Kallio, and more recently, Dani Pedrosa and Pol Espargaro came along, while the former 250cc Grand Prix winner with Aprilia was also key in testing the firm’s newest models. However, he was dropped in December 2024 and Alex Hofmnan has now suffered the same fate.

Like McWilliams, Hofmann played a pivotal role in the development of KTM’s RC16 MotoGP bike during its first few seasons in the world championship, but now former MotoGP rider and television pundit has been removed from his role as a brand ambassador at KTM.

The decision to cut loose Hofmann comes after hundreds of job cuts that have already taken place in the last few months, while KTM has also scaled back racing programmes and placed a temporary pause on development.

As a result of that, KTM has been successful in having its debt repayment plans approved by creditors as it was facing debts of €2.8 billion. Now KTM must pay around €600 million (£500m) by May to the insolvency administrator, which will then be split amongst the creditors.

Since its plan to undergo restructuring was approved, KTM has once again picked up production on all levels, while it will continue to race in the premier class of two-wheel racing for the foreseeable future, which prior to the 2025 campaign getting underway was very much in question.

Regarding Hofmann’s role with the brand, he was currently an ambassador although his contract in that role was set to run out at the end of 2025.

But he has now been dropped from the role and said this on social media: “Bye bye to my orange family. We had a great time and will certainly continue to have fun on the race tracks of the world.”

Hoffman never competed for KTM in MotoGP as his Grand Prix career ended before the Austrian manufacturer joined the class. Instead, he raced for Kawasaki and Ducati across five seasons.

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