Reasons behind the Moto3 class detailed

MotoGP Director of Technology discusses the change from the 125cc of current to the next generation of 250cc four-strokes

AFTER the 6th November two-stroke Grand Prix race bikes will be resigned to a historic memory when the engines of 125 GP class will be changed for 250cc four-stroke engines, MotoGP's Director of Technology, Corrado Cecchinelli detailed the new technical regulations of the Moto3 class.

Speaking to the official MotoGP website Cecchinelli spoke on the topic of the Moto3 class with an overview on the characteristics, the reasoning behind the four-stroke shift and his expectations for the class: “The main reason for this concept is having something more in line with the present times, because for the majority in the real world, nobody is interested in two-stroke engines. They are rarely used now.

"The second thing is that we believe with the number of limits in the regulations, it will be a very cheap bike and engine to make, buy and maintain for the race, therefore this should open the doors to more riders and ensure fairer racing," The new regulations state that the four-stroke engine will have a bore limited to 81mm, bringing them in line with the new era of four-stroke MotoGP racing and in esscence making them a quarter of their 1,000cc counterparts with 14,000 rpm rev limiter, "I think it will bring a better and more modern image to the sport, but more than that, it will become in line with the following categories. It will be more suitable to become the first step for a rider/team from the base level to MotoGP racing.”

A variety of manufacturers are expected to form the grid with Honda and KTM already touting bikes under testing, with various others displaying an interest in joining. Cecchinelli continued: ”The engine will be a prototype engine and it will be 250cc. It will be a single engine, fuel injected and it will contribute to saving costs and improving reliability. The machine will be considered together with the rider, as in the present 125cc series. It will weigh 148 kilos, the difference to what we have with the current 125cc, will be more than we expected from the engine itself."

"This is in line with what I had said earlier about making it more of a championship where they can progress onto MotoGP, this is because the advantage for very light riders will be reduced, as well as the disadvantage for heavier riders will also be reduced. It will be a more interesting challenge technically, because it will be the type of engine that is better known today by everyone and closer to what everybody is actually using.

"There will be many more engines in the race compared to the present 125cc category, as we’ll have many different brands which will be interesting for the fans.”