The fallout from KTMs disastrous financial situation continues to unfold, but this time it's not only the Austrian brand's direct employees who are feeling the pinch.
The promotional company behind the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, WESS Promotion GmbH, is set to undergo liquidation after KTM pulled its financial backing and Red Bull reduced its support for the HEWC. WESS Promotion GmbH created the WESS championship, which later became the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship (HEWC).
So, does that mean that this is the last we'll see of the HEWC?
Well, no, but the championship will be under the management of a new legal entity, and look different moving forward without the financial support of KTM.
WESS sent out a message to the Enduro World Championship riders stating, "KTM’s recent decision to withdraw its support for the Hard Enduro World Championship has had a significant impact on our organization and the championship as a whole... The current team, under the leadership of Winfried Kerschhaggl and Ricardo Mitterer, is fully committed to ensuring the continuation of the series and is actively working to organise the promotion of the championship for the next season under a different framework... If changes are necessary, they will primarily affect the overseas races."
The bottom line is that WESS Promotion GmbH covered the operational costs of the HEWC, and was also primarily funded by KTM. So if something needs to change to keep the championship afloat, it'll be to reduce costs. And if anything changes, it'll most likely be the cancelation of events outside Europe; namely, the Outliers event in Canada.
Keeping the events within Europe would reduce costs for the organization and the participating teams and riders, and both things are needed to ensure that the championship stays alive.
But despite how it might see at first, KTM's departure isn't all negative news.
In an interview with Speedweek, the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship Series Manager Winfried Kerschhaggl had this to say about some of the new opportunities on the table, "Years ago, we proposed a concept for an Adventure Bike class. At the time, it wasn’t approved because KTM felt they didn’t have a rider in that category who could win. Beyond that, we can now seriously consider whether to allow electric bikes or even introduce a dedicated four-stroke class. This opens up opportunities to create new platforms where manufacturers, riders, sponsors, and customers can showcase themselves within the world of elite motorsport."
That's right, we didn't get a hard enduro adventure class because KTM might not have won it—That didn't stop Pol Tarrés trying, however. For the sake of the sport, I hope we get to see some new concepts that rejuvenate and ultimately grow the HEWC.
As the fallout from KTMs surprise $3 billion financial crisis unfolds, it's unlikely that the HEWC will represent the last injured party. The question is, what's going to be hit next? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
