When KTM was developing the 890cc Duke, it was evident that an RC derivative will likely follow it in the future to make the 890 family whole.
This recently spied KTM Duke 890-based race bike could well be the inspiration for the middleweight sportsbike from the Austrian brand.
The Duke 790 and Duke 890 platforms have already been turned into track-only machines. One example is the Kramer GP2 890 R and the spied 890cc racer looks identical to that track bike.
Kramer makes the 889cc twin-cylinder engine put out 130 HP (9 ponies more than the 890 Duke R) and makes numerous changes, including to the frame, to make the GP2 890 R what it is.
Now, there are rumours that KTM could well start selling track day toys on its own as well. However this would not be the first time the bike manufacturer has had such thoughts.
About 7 years ago, KTM revealed its intention to sell a street-legal version of its MotoGP racer, the RC16, after it entered the premiere class championship. It did start racing in MotoGP from 2017 and has gone on to produce race-winning machines.
However, a road-legal version of the RC16 has been deemed unfeasible, for the brand does not want to price it so high that nobody would buy it, or dilute it so much that it will not resemble the MotoGP racer in any way.
These recent developments mean KTM is not giving up on offering a track-only bike for people to buy and KTM Motorsport Director Pit Beirer has revealed as much.
What this also means is that the KTM RC 890 could well be in the pipeline and if the 890cc racer proves its mettle on the circuit, customers would have little worry about the capabilities of the supersports derivative.
Image source – Speedweek.com