Are you planning to be in or near Mattighofen, Austria during summer, 2023? If you’re a Dakar Rally fan, a KTM fan, or both, then you should definitely make plans to check out the KTM Motohall museum in Mattighofen if you’re in the area. The museum recently opened its Legends of the Dakar exhibit in May 2023, featuring 10 different bikes that played pivotal roles in KTM’s rich Dakar history.
The exhibition, as the best such exhibitions tend to do, features both the most memorable parts of the history it’s imparting on visitors, as well as untold, behind-the-scenes stories that every moto history nerd loves to experience. Multiple eras of the Dakar Rally are represented, from the Paris-Dakar years to the South America years, not to mention the current era in Saudi Arabia.
Bikes and stories from KTM legends including Heinz Kinigadner, Fabrizio Meoni, Marc Coma, Matthias Walkner, Toby Price, and Kevin Benavides are all on proud display for visitors to enjoy up close and in person. Fabrizio Meoni took that very first Team Orange win back in 2001, and since that time, KTM Factory riders have managed to scoop up 19 victories—including the most recent one courtesy of Kevin Benavides in 2023.
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“Winning this year‘s Dakar was really the best feeling of my life. And now, to be a part of KTM‘s Legends of the Dakar makes me very proud. I am still overwhelmed, it‘s amazing,” Benavides said in a statement.
“There is no other race like it, and no feeling like winning it. I am so proud to have been an Austrian rider, on an Austrian bike with an Austrian sponsor and it is really cool that the KTM Motohall is telling these stories – especially those ones in history that we did not always get to know about in detail,” added 2018 Dakar winner Matthias Walkner.
“To talk about the history of KTM and the Dakar really makes me a bit proud. Back when I started in 1994, I could not believe the media coverage – it was so much more than I got for my world titles, and I knew it could be good for the brand. While the style and professionalism of racing has changed since then, the fundamentals of the race remain the same. It’s a big adventure,” said Heinz Kinigadner.
“There is no bigger adventure than the Dakar; the momentum and motivation it provided us back in those early years, which proved to be pivotal in the promotion of the KTM name and development of our motorcycles, has never wavered,” Pierer Mobility AG CEO Stefan Pierer added.
If you’re planning to attend, the KTM Motohall is open from Wednesday to Sunday each week, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time. Starting on July 1, 2023, the Museum moves to its summer hours, which means that it will be open from Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., except for national holidays.
Tickets are available online via the KTM Motohall official website, which we’ll link to in our Sources for easy access. Children under the age of 14 get in free with paying adults. Adult day passes are 13 Euros (about $14.24 at the time of writing on June 16, 2023).
Discounted tickets are available for high school students over the age of 14, college students, senior citizens, disabled visitors, and groups of 10 or more. The cost for those discounted tickets is 9.10 Euros (about $10). Additionally, family passes are available at a cost of 28 Euros (about $31) for families of two adults and up to three children, but those must be purchased in person at the KTM Motohall and cannot be purchased online. Guided tours, audio guides, and more are also available for additional charges via the KTM Motohall website.
