Walk-round of KTM's race 690 Duke

THE above video gives a chance to hear the single-cylinder KTM 690 Duke that will make up the new one-make KTM European Junior Cup.

Similar to the Red Bull Rookies Cup, the series will have young riders from 14 to 19 years old racing same spec KTM 690 Dukes, in support for eight of the European rounds of the World Superbike championship. There is expected to be over 30 riders lining up on the grid, with 12 different nationalities represented.

KTM ambassador and KTM European Junior Cup advisor, Jeremy McWilliams, played a massive part in developing the 690 Duke for racing.

The former MotoGP rider said: “Describing what the EJC 690 Duke does on the race track with some small modifications and sticky rubber, doesn't make sense. When you consider the bike's DNA you wonder why we've chosen it as a race machine.

“The idea that the Duke would lend itself to the track came about during the press images photo shoot in Spain, back in 2011. The bike immediately gives you the impression that it's a superlight twin cylinder; it has more go than any single I've ridden.

“With the addition of KTM PowerParts the transformation into the Cup bike is simple; the WP race suspension is needed for the extra grip that the SC1 Pirelli's offer and the standard Marchesini wheels and Brembo brakes are a big plus in helping how the Duke handles and stops. Changing direction requires minimal physical input, something I'd imagine what riding a Moto3 bike is like.

“The 690 is the sort of bike that brings out the aggression in a normally genteel rider-like myself. It's essential to ignore what your brain tells you when it comes to putting the lap together. You must ignore the typical breaking markers and storm into the 100-metre area, or less on a short track like Cartagena. The stopping power is incredible, the bike doesn't move under heavy breaking with no backing in as the slipper clutch deals with very fast back shifts. The ride-by-wire system also has a hand here in aiding with corner entry. We experimented with different fuel maps that would suit the most aggressive rider. All clever stuff.

“Corner speed is phenomenal and trying to convince myself when to get hard onto the gas took a little experimentation. I've never experienced a bike that produces as much grip as this one does. This has got to be the combination of Supersport tyres and a machine weight of just 140 kg. Accelerating 15 metres before the brain wants you to takes some getting used to, but riding around the outside of a Supersport bike is actually possible.”

Video from www.blog.derestricted.com