Read today on speedweek.com a speculation that with Castiglioni being pushed out, the Moto2 project could likely be buried as the connection was Cuzari - Castiglioni and Forward Racing is short on cash.
Could be the next opportunity for the new CEO to do what is right for business in my opinion.
I had hoped this Moto2 project was serious, but over the season one could see that this venture is much Forward Racing and little MV Agusta. The Triumph engine and the “stolen” fairings do the rest.
If any MV Agusta money is involved it is better invested elsewhere. If no money is involved it still needs to be stopped as Forward Racing is a burden on the brand.
Pull one of the most famous brands out of racing and have them only compete in WorldSupersport? A dying class on its own with the yamaha beehive.
Drop Forward and go full MV with triumph engine?
When they produce and sell low CC engines in Asia, enter moto3 class as a own brand?
MotoGP is a no go for sure.
MV currently with Triumph engine has a bad taste to it. Riding with a competitors engine.
But I dont see them enter a different class until they actually have the new F4. Which they can enter WSBK with.(If they have the budget)
I agree with Nigel. First, get the products right. The race appreciating buyers are fewer than let’s say in the early 2000s. Racing nowadays is for those companies that can afford it.
MV Agusta has since its return never really played a role in major racing series. It had been resurrected without any racing and was still having success.
WSBK as a whole is a big fake in my opinion. It is not about the bike, just about what kind of prototype tech you stuff into the basis. The stock Kwaker is solid, but not more. But the WSBK bike destroys the competition, partly because if Rea, but it was already dominant before. So a future F4 in WSBK would not do it for me. This seems to be hypothetical anyway as the next F4 is said to be non-compliant with WSBK homologation rules. That leaves it to the F3 in SSP, a series that is indeed dying. And I doubt that there will be 675 in 2021 when Euro5 hits the scene.
MotoGP is out of reach, Moto2 is crap because of the Triumph engine. Moto3 could be an option. But if you want to be super prestigious, Moto3 might also not really fit.
I liked the idea of Road Racing, maybe like Norton does. Even though they are not winning, it seems to be appreciated quite a bit that they participate. Why not sending some factory backed red/silver F3s into the IOM TT SSP races and make a solid marketing campaign out of it. Bikes that survive the mountain course get credit.
flex, that sounds like the best idea and use of resources for sure..
"I liked the idea of Road Racing, maybe like Norton does. Even though they are not winning, it seems to be appreciated quite a bit that they participate. Why not sending some factory backed red/silver F3s into the IOM TT SSP races and make a solid marketing campaign out of it. Bikes that survive the mountain course get credit."
until MV can establish itself on it's own bike in a racing series it is a waste. They should not be in Moto2. At least in WSS they are using their own bike
What's interesting is a lot of casual fans just see it as an "MV Agusta" just like they see KTM. They don't really see the engine as what the bike is. I think it's OK for MV Agusta to be in Moto 2 because they can actually use the class for chassis development on their 3 cylinder engines.
Jerry, you are probably right about the casual fans. But is the casual fan relevant for sales of MV? The casual fan may like the fact MV Agusta participates, but will ride a MT09 instead of a Brutale.
I don’t have any insight on the chassis, but there have been reports that the chassis is an old Suter bike that more by coincidence has the MV typical hybrid trellis chassis.
And since a couple of races the fairings look like an exact copy of the Kalex, so that it lost its central F3 type of silhouette.
Badge engineering for the prototype chassis is not something to be ashamed of (Suter has also been VERY present in the Ducati MotoGP box), but if MV does not have an active part at all, the learnings for their stock bikes will be limited.
Listening to Cuzari's speech and speaking to him at his birthday dinner/Forward Racing anniversary it's obvious he is really passionate about racing. Whether or not his connection helps sell bikes I don't know, nor do I know if that's even important to him. For me, their involvement (although limited) with MV Agusta makes Moto2 a little more interesting to watch. Nothing wrong with that, is there?
nothing wrong with that. I would enjoy seeing them place a little higher or have a competitive race where they move up through the field and not because 3 or 4 riders up front crash
Flex36 you state Moto2 is crap because they are using Triumph engine . Do you think Moto2 was better when they where using Honda engine ? If so Why? The Triumph triple is preffered by the riders, it sounds better has more torque and Horsepower has better lap times , riders say its easier to attain better lap times because of low end torque and HP and has created faster, closer racing.. I prefer 600SSP but for the MV F3675R triple to have a chance to win a title 600SSP rules would have to allow for a higher state of tune and MV to out engineer the Japanese to make up for top end power deficit (which isn't as much as one would think)
Hi Roehr, I did not state that Moto2 in general is crap. The series is needed to bridge the gap from Moto3 to MotoGP and the races are fun to watch. But the MV Agusta project in Moto 2 is not making sense. It has nothing to do with Triumph being the engine supplier. From a manufacturer's point of view, there is only one beneficial of Moto2, and that is the exclusive provider of engines. MV Agusta is said to have applied for that role as well, but Triumph's offer (and maybe financial stability at the time of the tender) was considered better. Honda used Moto 2 for advertising its CBR600 engine, now Triumph does the same with 765 Triple. There is nothing wrong with that.
But putting the MV logo on a private team with a very colorful past, let them buy and run a Suter chassis without any visible involvement of MV Agusta in a series where the uniform engine is provided by a competitor does not seem reasonable to me. It would be equally senseless if they still ran Honda engines. Next year MV Agusta will be the only "OEM" company starting in that class.
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