KTM faz promoção com RC8 e X-bow no Vienna Ringstrasse

KTM turns Vienna's Ringstrasse orange with Marquez, the RC8R and KTM X-Bow

Ahead of what is KTM's home GP in the Czech Republic next weekend, the Austrian manufacturer was out in force in Vienna on Wednesday to prove it is always "Ready to Race" by adding plenty of zesty Orange to a promotion for the MotoGP in Brno.

The famous Ringstrasse, which circles the inner city and is lined by some of the city's most famous buildings, was closed to traffic and given over to selected riders from the 125, 250 and MotoGP classes, including KTM's own factory rider, 16-year old Spaniard Marc Marquez of the Red Bull KTM Moto Sport team.

And as the promotion for the Brno GP drew a very large crowd of thrill-seeking motor sports fans, KTM also treated them to a "close up and personal" encounter with the company's new RC8R Super Bike and the cutting edge KTM X-BOW sports car. The KTM RC8R is currently contesting its first year in the IDM, the German International Superbike championship and with just two rounds left to contest Stefan Nebel of the KTM Superbike Team Germany is currently second in the championship standings. The X-BOW, the most uncompromising sports car currently in existence drew "need for speed" fans like moths to a flame. The sleek, eye-catching racer that is also homologated for road use was first released onto the market in 2008 and in the same year won the GT4 SuperLight European Cup with Christopher Haase at the helm. Three KTM drivers also took the first three places in the Sports Light series.

Another major attraction for the Austrian fans was the presence of ski racer Matthias Lanzinger onboard a specially adapted standard model RC8 bike. Lanzinger was a prominent member of the Austrian National Ski Team when he lost his leg in a tragic racing accident in December 2005. KTM has modified his white RC8 Superbike so that he can change gears on the left side of the bike using a hand control. Lanzinger joined the MotoGP racers and the X-BOW in the parade ride along the Ringstrasse that was punctuated with wheelies and burnouts that thrilled the thousands of people who turned out for the inner city show.

The KTM MotoGP bike, the RC8R Superbike and the X-BOW are a dazzling array of examples of the company's dedication to motor racing, which has also rewarded them with countless world championship titles.

Meanwhile for the young Marquez, revving up on the Ringstrasse was a unique experience. He joined his racing comrades to bring the adrenalin rush of racing to Austrian fans right on their historic boulevard. Later he and the other riders addressed the huge crowd that swarmed across the Ringstrasse in front of the country's Parliament House and then signed autographs.

Speaking about his experiences in his first year of racing 125 cc in the World Championship, Marquez said it had been a hard but exciting year where he had tried to gather as much experience as possible. "You have to push hard with every lap and you have to work on getting some good experience. But I like that. I like the good fights we have on the track," he said, adding that this weekend in Brno he hoped to stay with the front group and make a podium. He said his 125cc RR machine, thanks to hard work by his team and KTM Technical Director Harald Bartol, was now very competitive and he was confident of a good race on Sunday.