Since Dirk Gruebel stepped down from being Factory KTM team manager for the MXGP World Championship team, Antonio Cairoli and Harry Norton have both had the role for a year each.
However, there is another change going into the 2025 season as Joel Smets who has had a role with the KTM Group for a number of years, has now been given the team manager role moving forward.
We recently caught up with Smets to discuss the role and he was quick to stress whilst he will have more responsibilities his role won’t actually change that much and the main goal will be to continue working closely with the riders.
“Well, when I came back to KTM 10 years ago, my ambition or my goal was never to take a certain position. My ambition was only to try to make the team better, put my knowledge and experience in or make my knowledge and experience available for a better team. This would be in whichever team member role or where it was needed, let’s say, to make the team better and to win. My goal was to win and I knew with KTM, they have the same mentality and the will to win”.
“I always said like, let’s say more or less, what condition it takes to make it and to win. Okay, it was clear but I’m saying whichever role I have, within that role, I always meant, of course, working on the sport, you know, to make the right course. That has never changed”.
“How the question came up… well, Tony (Cairoli) disappeared. And then unfortunately, Harry (Norton), we had some struggles over the last two years. Then that question came up”.
“I didn’t have to think too long about it. I said: Hey guys, I think also in that role, it’s not going to change on the practical side a lot. Okay, I’ll have a bit more responsibilities. On the technical side, I’ll have a bit more like end responsibilities. But my main focus, my main job will still be on the side of the rider for their physical preparation, especially being their rider coach, tactical coaching, race analysis, and stuff like that. So my main job hasn’t changed, or, you know, the main tasks of my work hasn’t changed”.
“But it’s clear that I’m in this role now, I’m not only, let’s say, taking control of the rider on the sport side, but I’m also the end responsible for the mechanics and everything. I’m feeling comfortable and I’m feeling confident. Okay, Motocross is an individual sport, but I’m a really, really big fan of team sports, because I’m a social guy. I like the aspect, let’s say, or I like the challenge to make a team stronger than the sum of the individuals”.
“I really do believe in it, that you can do that, with putting the right people in the right place and creating the right mindset, that you can make a team stronger than the sum of the individuals. That’s in my role now. I’m going to be able more to chase that challenge, let’s say, to chase that goal, than when I was only working with the riders, you know. I’m looking forward”.
With Cairoli and Norton only being team manager for a year each, we asked Smets if he hopes to keep the role longer as continuity could be good for the team moving forward.
“I think so too but there again, I do not expect it. Okay, I’m 55 now but I’m still motivated. I’m still hungry, I still like this and I still like this sport a lot. I still get goosebumps when the 15 second board goes up. So I’m motivated and I’m ready to do it for more years. But let’s say, in case, for whatever reason, and especially now with the financial restructure which we are facing, in case at the end of the year, for some reason, it is better that somebody else takes up the role”.
“So for me, again, that job title, as long as I can keep on working with the riders and as long as, let’s say, in case we put a new structure in line, as long as I’m convinced that that’s the way to go and that makes the team better, I’m happy to do it because my goal is to win. My goal is not to put myself on the top step. The rider needs to be on the top step and the rider needs to have a good team and the right team spirit, the right team atmosphere to perform at his best level. Whichever positions in the team we need to put the cards, let’s say, for me, that’s fine. As long as that makes the team better and improves our chances of winning”.
Smets also give an update on Harry Norton who went from mechanic to a management role very quickly for his hard work. However, for the 2025 season even though he’ll remain with KTM, he will be heading to the Enduro paddock.
“With Antonio (Cairoli), I think, yeah, it’s quite clear. The reason is quite clear why that didn’t last long (note: Cairoli went to Ducati). With Harry (Norton), I really feel sorry for him because, as you mentioned in your question, I’ve been working with Harry for six years. He came in from Australia with zero experience in the World Championship. I kind of managed to make him grow together with Tom”
“Together they won two championships. I think there I really had a big part with my experience in kind of guiding the both of them together. I think Harry has a lot of technical potential but yeah, I’m afraid that maybe it was a bit too much too soon. But that’s not his fault, actually. Because on the KTM Austria side, we actually kind of got in trouble when the German Diga Procross team decided to stop with the team just before the 2023 season, because they were supposed to host Lucas and Sacha Coenen.”
“When they decided to stop, we had to find a solution for the two kids. Suddenly we ended up with four riders. Then in this case, in 2024, with the new technical components on the bike, which took quite a lot of work to get everything right”.
“We touched on the topic already with Andrea, but also Sacha was struggling with it. Liam had the injury and also Jeffrey started the season with an injury. It was just, I think, whoever would have been the team manager, it would have always been a really, really hard job. So I really feel sorry for Harry. I still have a good relationship with him. He will remain with the company, normally. He’s with the Enduro team now and putting his experience there on the table. I think he has a mixed history, motocross and enduro, so for sure he’ll be enjoying that as well”.
You can read the full interview, here.
