KTM Explains Pedro Acosta's Assen Bike Issue

Pedro Acosta suffered two technical stoppages on Saturday morning at the 2026 Dutch MotoGP, but KTM insists the issue was caused by a sensor rather than a mechanical failure on the RC16.

The technical concerns came after KTM experienced several reliability issues in recent rounds. Acosta also suffered a technical failure at the Czech Grand Prix, while an earlier problem in Catalunya resulted in the incident involving Alex Marquez.

Aki Ajo explained that one of the MotoGP bike's safety sensors activated emergency mode after detecting an unusual value when Acosta rode over the kerbs.

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"A MotoGP bike has many sensors to make the bike work, and some of them also for safety races. This morning, when the rider went over the kerbs, they triggered the emergency mode of the bike and that caused the bike to stop."

"So, there is nothing really wrong with the bike, the rider did everything correct. But we needed to react in the correct way and now the problem is solved."

Ajo also stressed that the Assen issue was unrelated to the technical problem Acosta experienced in Catalunya. According to the KTM team boss, the two incidents had completely different causes, although the manufacturer continues working to improve the RC16's reliability.

"I just want to underline that this was nothing to do with the Barcelona problem. It was a different problem, as I explained."

Despite the setbacks, Acosta still reached Q2 and will start the Sprint from eighth on the grid. KTM expects the sensor issue to remain resolved as the Spaniard targets a trouble-free race at Assen.