Jorge Lorenzo in awe of what he ‘found’ during his first KTM factory tour with Pit Beirer

Add as preferred source on Google

KTM held their Christmas party at their factory on Wednesday and Jorge Lorenzo was on the guestlist, after agreeing to be Tech3 ace Maverick Vinales’ performance coach.

Vinales agreed a deal with Lorenzo following the conclusion of the 2025 season, as he looks to draw on the three-time MotoGP champion’s vast experience at the front of the field. The Spaniard will now lean on his compatriot for help in physical, strategic and technical aspects.

Lorenzo fought against and beat some of the best riders in premier class history in Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa. Vinales also has 11 years in MotoGP under his belt, but he has not finished higher than sixth in the riders’ standings since securing third in 2019.

Vinales was P10 in the 2025 standings before he dislocated and fractured his shoulder at the German Grand Prix. The injury ruined the 30-year-old’s season, in which he had offered a lot of promise after joining Tech3 this term. KTM signed Vinales on a two-year factory contract.

Jorge Lorenzo is in awe of KTM’s ‘absolute winning mentality’

Vinales lost a P2 finish in the Qatar GP due to illegal tyre pressures as a 16-second post-race penalty demoted him to P14. It would have marked the first podium for a KTM rider in 2025, which ultimately went to Pedro Acosta in round 12 for the first of the Spaniard’s five all year.

READ MORE: Everything to know about KTM from the MotoGP team’s riders to hierarchy

KTM did not win a Grand Prix this year, with Acosta’s P2s in Hungary, Indonesia and Malaysia the Austrian brand’s best results. But Lorenzo feels KTM have a “winning mentality”, having been left in awe after motorsport director Pit Beirer gave him a tour around their factory.

“I found a very organised and close-knit team with an absolute winning mentality,” Lorenzo said, via SPEEDWEEK. “Now, it’s a matter of demonstrating this potential in the future with podium finishes and victories.”

Jorge Lorenzo’s KTM appreciation should encourage Maverick Vinales for 2026

Vinales has urged KTM to improve how the rear of their bike slides under braking if he is to secure better results with the RC16 in the final year of the 1,000cc regulations next season. The Figueres native took his best result of 2025 at the Spanish Grand Prix with P4 at Jerez.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Maverick Vinales from career stats to net worth

Better results might have been possible with more time on the RC16, but Vinales sat out a total of eight Grands Prix due to the shoulder injury he sustained in qualifying in Germany. The problem plagued Vinales for the rest of the term and saw him lose 5kg in muscle mass.

Vinales will hope having the winter to recover and now having Lorenzo in his corner will lead to the better results aboard the KTM RC16 that the 2013 Moto3 champion flirted with in his first races for Tech3. He will also no doubt like to hear that Lorenzo liked KTM’s organisation.

While Lorenzo appreciated what Beirer showed him at the KTM factory in Munderfing, Carlo Pernat accused KTM of having “no working method” this October. KTM have also not won a single Grand Prix since Miguel Oliveira’s 2022 Thai Grand Prix victory in the rain at Buriram.