Riding Through Change: Challenges and new Opportunities!

The FIM Hard Enduro World Championship exists because of the efforts of WESS Promotion GmbH and thanks to KTM’s generous financial support from day one. Unfortunately, due to known circumstances, KTM can no longer back the series. The management team around Winfried Kerschhaggl remains fully committed to the future of the series, with plans already in motion to continue organizing and promoting the series under a new legal framework for the 2025 season.

In a recent interview with SPEEDWEEK.COM he discusses the significant impact of KTM’s recent decision, shares insights into how the series will move forward, the challenges ahead, and the opportunities that have emerged from this transition.

SPEEDWEEK: Winni, how has the current situation at KTM impacted the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship?

Winfried Kerschhaggl: The WESS Promotion GmbH is set to undergo liquidation. This development affects us not only as an organization but also on a personal level. Despite this, our management team is determined to continue the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship under a new legal entity. The WESS Promotion GmbH existed to cover our operational costs and was primarily funded by KTM.

SPEEDWEEK: What does this mean specifically for the upcoming season?

Winfried Kerschhaggl: Our plan is to largely stick to the previously announced calendar. However, if necessary changes will likely affect the overseas races—specifically, the Outliers event in Canada. This isn’t just because we need to reduce costs ourselves, but also because the teams are feeling the strain of the current situatio. Travel expenses, which were already a challenge, are becoming an even greater obstacle. Right now, the priority is to keep the series alive.

SPEEDWEEK: Ensuring planning security for organizers, teams, and riders seems to require swift action with the new entity.

Winfried Kerschhaggl: Absolutely! We’ve spoken to all the organizers, even those whose events are not part of the 2025 calendar. Without exception, they want the championship to continue. The majority also want to see this happen in collaboration with the FIM. Additionally, they prefer to proceed with the current management team because the experience and lessons from the past years provide a solid foundation. We’ve also reached out to potential sponsors right away, and the initial conversations have been very promising.

SPEEDWEEK: Do you think this challenging situation also presents opportunities?

Winfried Kerschhaggl: Without a doubt. It’s painful right now, but all the effort we’ve put into the championship over the years is something we don’t want to let go to waste. The energy we’ve invested in developing individual events should also not be in vain. We’ve learned a lot and see significant potential. This fresh start offers us the chance to fundamentally improve and evolve the championship. The constraints we faced before are now behind us, allowing us to operate more freely.

SPEEDWEEK: Can you give an example of such constraints?

Winfried Kerschhaggl: 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.

Source: SPEEDWEEK.COM - Original interview in German from 18th Dec. 2024

https://www.speedweek.com/extremenduro/news/230892/Schock-WM-Promoter-WESS-wird-wegen-KTM-liquidiert.html