KTM RC16 MotoGP racer unveiled during landmark Austrian MotoGP weekend.

Last weekend, Austrian race fans not only celebrated the return of MotoGP at the Red Bull Ring (formerly A1 Ring), they were also treated with the official debut of the KTM RC16 MotoGP race bike.

Dressed in its official Red Bull livery, the KTM RC16 has undergone a number of tests at the hands of test-rider Mika Kallio over the last year. Team Orange looks certain to make its mark next season after signing experienced riders Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith as well.

But before that, test-rider Kallio will be one of the first to race the KTM RC16 machine later this year as a wildcard entry during the Valencia GP season-finale. Joining the Finn as KTM’s second wildcard rider is Swiss racer Thomas Lüthi who currently competes in Moto2.

Like you and many others, we are just as excited to see how Team Orange’s MotoGP competitor will fare against the rest of the field in the premier class. Surely, the Valencia tests scheduled right after the season-finale will be the best place to gauge KTM’s true potential.

Besides its entry into the premier MotoGP class, we also mustn’t forget the KTM’s planned entry into Moto2 as well. In other words, 2017 will see KTM completing its presence in all three classes of MotoGP at once.

Aki Ajo will lead the brand’s Moto2 team, whilst current Moto3 rider Brad Binder and current Moto2 rider Thomas Lüthi have been drafted as his riders. Crucially, both Binder and Lüthi will race astride a specially built Honda-powered bike built in partnership by KTM and WP Suspension.

Given the amount of research, development and other efforts to reach this stage, we can safely say that KTM will likely be a force to be reckon with in the 2017 MotoGP season. You can check out more images of the KTM RC16 MotoGP bike in the gallery we’ve prepared below.