Jonas Folger is generally satisfied with what he and his test team could achieve in the race debut of the brand-new KTM RC 990 R at last weekend’s «EURO MOTO» event at the Autodrom Most, even though both races ended prematurely for him.
For 32-year-old Jonas Folger, the trip to Most in the northwest of the Czech Republic was not just a temporary return to the national championship nearly six years after he won the Superbike class title in 2020. Rather, the focus over the past few days at the Autodrom Most has been on the further development of the «Next Generation» Supersport bike from the Austrian manufacturer based in Mattighofen, for which Folger works full-time as a development and test rider.
Round three of the 2026 «EURO MOTO» season, formerly known as International German Motorcycle Championship, was marked by extreme hot conditions, which pushed both the riders and their equipment to its limits.
Expectations heading into the race weekend were very low, and all practice sessions on Friday and Saturday made it clear in which areas this project, which is still in its infancy, needs improvement. Folger finished seventh in the combined timesheets for free practices and qualifyings, trailing the fastest time by about 1.5 seconds on both occasions.
The races proved to be the ultimate test for the equipment. Despite the small number of laps completed in the races, the results from the weekend were very positive.
After the gruelling weekend in Most, Folger will travel directly to Japan for the next event, where he will compete for the second time since 2025 with Team S-PULSE DREAM RACING in the famous «Suzuka 8 Hours” endurance race.
#94 Jonas FOLGER (Freudenberg PALIGO - KTM Test Team, KTM RC 990 R)
«The race weekend in Most was a successful test for us under race conditions. We were able to learn a lot. That’s why I’m glad we made and carried out this decision. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to finish either in one of the two races. Those races would have provided us with further important insights. Now we’re missing that data, which we could have learned so many things from. Nevertheless, we have a very long to-do list of next steps, exactly what we need. Unfortunately, the results fell a bit short of our expectations, even though they weren’t the main focus. The priority was to gain experience. In fact, the extremely hot temperatures actually worked in our favour. The conditions were a brutal test of endurance, with air temperatures reaching up to 40 degrees and over 60 degrees on the asphalt.»
«In that regard, it was really helpful to push everything to the limits right from the start. That gave us a good sense of what needs to be improved with the equipment. Aside from that, I had a blast being back in the championship and competing on track against so many fast riders in this class. Many of them showed us where we’re at the moment and highlighted the areas where we need to improve or make changes. This was just the beginning, and we still have a long way to go. I’d like to take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped out. Everyone gave their all despite the almost inhuman conditions. The mechanics worked hard on the bike, often late into the night. It was definitely a very educational weekend and, as a result, a successful and important one in terms of our test program. Once again, a big thank you to KTM and Team Freudenberg- I’m already looking forward to our next outing together.»
EURO MOTO SSP – Combined Free Practice Times:
1 Dirk GEIGER / GER / Team Apreco – Yamaha / Yamaha YZF-R9 / 1´35.649
2 Daniel BLIN / POL / Automarket AF Racing Team / Ducati Panigale V2 / 1´36.364 +0.715
3 Lennox LEHMANN / GER / Team Apreco – Yamaha / Yamaha YZF-R9 / 1´36.400 +0.751
…
7 #94 Jonas FOLGER / GER / Freudenberg PALIGO – KTM Test Team / KTM RC 990 R / 1´37.178 +1.529
EURO MOTO SSP – Combined Qualifying Sessions (1 + 2):
1 Dirk GEIGER / GER / Team Apreco – Yamaha / Yamaha YZF-R9 / 1´34.857
2 Lennox LEHMANN / GER / Team Apreco – Yamaha / Yamaha YZF-R9 / 1´35.113 +0.256
3 Marcel BRENNER / SWI / Automarket AF Racing Team / Ducati Panigale V2 / 1´35.873 +1.016
…
7 #94 Jonas FOLGER / GER / Freudenberg PALIGO – KTM Test Team / KTM RC 990 R / 1´36.535 +1.678
