CFMoto acquires majority stake in Moto2 chassis manufacturer

CFMoto has acquired a majority stake in the Moto2 chassis manufacturer Kalex.

Sky Sport Italy reports that the Chinese manufacturer has acquired a 51 per cent stake in the German engineering company, which has manufactured chassis for the Moto2 World Championship since the class replaced the 250cc two-stroke category in 2010.

The acquisition has been made through CFMoto’s subsidiary Helmsmen Europe and means the company will now be led by CFMoto Vice President Zhiyong Chen and Sebastian Sekira, who used to lead engine development at KTM. Kalex co-founders Alex Baumgartel and Klaus Hirsekorn had previously controlled the company with equal 50 per cent stakes, but now split the 49 per cent not owned by CFMoto equally.

CFMoto has been a part of the Moto2 class since 2024 when it replaced GasGas as the title sponsor to the Aspar team, which runs Kalex chassis. The first year of that partnership saw David Alonso crowned Moto3 World Champion, while last year both Alonso and Dani Holgado won races in their rookie Moto2 campaigns and Marc Marquez protege Max Quiles finished third in his rookie Moto3 season.

The Moto2 World Championship has only ever been a one-engine class. Originally it was Honda; now – since 2019 – it’s Triumph. But Kalex has also been involved in Moto3 as a chassis manufacturer and in MotoGP where co-founder Alex Baumgartl worked as a technical consultant with HRC and developed chassis and swingarms for the RC213V between 2022 and 2024.

With Moto3’s future looking to be as one-make as Moto2, perhaps even more so, a tie-up between CFMoto and Kalex is unlikely to bear fruit in either of MotoGP’s lower classes, but the Chinese factory has been linked with a move to MotoGP in the future.

If CFMoto builds the engine, leaning on Kalex for the chassis seems like a good way to start instead of starting from scratch themselves. Additionally, Kalex could theoretically be used as a European base for CFMoto’s racing activities – which seem set to involve WorldSBK from as early as 2027  – although it’s possible that expansions would have to take place to accommodate a large scale factory racing operation.

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