2017 KTM RC Cup And Racebike Details Announced

KTM has announced the details of its 2017 RC Cup racebike along with the RC Cup race event that is a part of the MotoAmerica series. The KTM RC Cup features young riders aged 14 to 22, an AMA Superstock Limited license, on identical KTM RC Cup Racebikes. The 2017 season of the series is going to be a little different from the previous seasons as the KTM RC Cup gets an additional round. 

Talking about the KTM RC Cup racebike, it is a track-only (not street-legal) version of the RC 390 that is available in the Indian market as well. The race-prepared motorcycle is sold ready for competition, with over 40 KTM PowerParts and other improvements to enhance its racing performance. The engine of the bike comes sealed for use in the MotoAmerica series and it gets a performance exhaust by Akrapovic. If one wishes to modify his/her street-legal KTM RC 390 to participate in the MotoAmerica, it will not qualify for participation in the series.

The 2017 version of the racebike features fully adjustable WP inverted forks fork and WP racing monoshock with high-/low-speed compression and rebound damping, adjustable preload and adjustable shock length. It also gets a taller windshield with race style tail fairing and belly pan. Throttle response is a very important factor in racing, so the KTM RC Cup racebike receives RC8 R-like throttle assembly. Moreover, there are also CNC-machined race-spec rearsets and foldable levers on the bike, along with many other PowerParts.

The KTM RC Cup bike further comes with additional benefits like trackside servicing by its partner, HMC Racing, during the race weekends. As mentioned above, the engine is sealed and may be serviced only by the company's trackside partner to maintain competitive parity. The KTM HMC will provide a semi-truck as a relaxing hospitality area for participants, technical assistance, parts and a motorcycle safety check prior to the race. Moreover, the new participants purchasing the KTM RC CUP racebike before March 31, 2017 will get some additional deals from the sponsors of MotoAmerica on their participation in the series.

Coming back to the RC Cup, the upcoming KTM RC Cup series will comprise of nine rounds, with round one scheduled to kick start at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, on April 28-30. Making stops at Virginia International Raceway, Road America, Utah Motorsports Campus, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Sonoma Raceway, Pittsburgh International Race Complex and New Jersey Motorsports Park, the season will conclude with the finale at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, on September 15-17.

This season will witness two new racetracks and that will be a good learning experience for the young riders in the class. Also, Round 5, presented by Riderz Law at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, will run in conjunction with the World Superbike round on July 7-9.

If we talk about the possibilities for the RC Cup in India, it can be a good learning experience for the young riders of the country. Recently, during the launch of the 2017 KTM RC twins, Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director of Bajaj Auto, also announced that the KTM RC Cup will come to India, but it is still some time away. We would also like to see this kind of motorsport events rising in our country, however, nothing can be expected at least before 2019.