Ever since Red Bull Teka KTM’s Tony Cairoli won the 2010 MX1 world championship title in the debut year for the new KTM 350 SX-F rumours have circulated that this revolutionary MX machine from the Austrian market leader in sports motorcycles was actually closer to a 400cc machine than a standard 350 model.
The recent string of holeshots in the AMA Supercross series has only served to strengthen these rumours so KTM was more than happy when – following yet another holeshot by Mike Alessi last weekend in the Cowboy Stadium, Arlington Texas – the AMA chose his 350 SX-F for a random tear down inspection after the race.
Pit Beirer who heads the Racing Department at KTM’s HQ in Austria and Roger De Coster, manager of the US Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team, said they were pleased that the AMA inspection settled the score once and for all.
Pit Beirer: “The AMA chose to control Alessi’s bike and this was a good thing because we at KTM Racing are completely in favour of strict controls,” he said. “We want to compete in accordance with the regulations. And when our riders do well we want to be confident that it is the result of the effort, research and development we invest in our factory bikes and because of our own factory riders’ talents.”
The AMA inspection of Alessi’s KTM 350 SX-F and its subsequent clearance as a completely legal, appropriately bored 350cc machine, Beirer said, also proves that Alessi has been scoring his holeshots on his and the bike’s merits.
