MotoGP Basics

What is Moto2?

A new 4-stroke MotoGP World Championship class was announced on 11th December 2008 and is set to replace the 250cc category from 2010.

Taking the name of Moto2, this new category is intended to be a prestigious yet cost-effective accompaniment to the premier class of MotoGP.

Some of the key characteristics of this new category of Grand Prix racing are the single engine supplier and a single tyre supplier. Honda Racing Corporation is the chosen engine supplier, while Dunlop provide the tyres.

Technical specifications

Powered by a one-make 600cc 4-stroke engine, producing around 140hp, the Moto2 class will continue the 250cc series' pursuit of developmental excellence with the running of a prototype chassis -free from limitation.

No production bike parts will be permitted for the frame, swing arm, fuel tank, seat or cowling, meaning that these aspects of the machine will be left to the manufacturer and designers. discretion.

However, electronic systems are more limited than those that were permitted in 250cc, which had seen select factories bringing in traction control. Moto2 rules allow for data loggers, ECU and timing transponders supplied by the organiser, with a maximum total cost of the ECU's components set at 650 euros. No other electronic control, nor datalogging systems, will be present on the bikes.

In the entry list for the debut season in 2010 were four 125cc World Champions; Thomas Lüthi (2005), Gabor Talmacsi (2007), Mike di Meglio (2008) and Julián Simón (2009). Accompanying them were four World Championship runners-up in Fonsi Nieto (250cc in 2002), Roberto Rolfo (250cc in 2003), Alex de Angelis (125cc in 2003) and Héctor Faubel (125cc in 2007).

If those with World Championship titles under the belts reflects the strength and quality of the category, so does the level of experience present. Seven of the riders in the entry list published by the FIM have experience in the elite class of MotoGP; Toni Elías, De Angelis, Niccolò Canepa, Yuki Takahashi, Talmacsi, Anthony West and Rolfo.

In addition to this, 18 of those who started the Moto2 class in 2010 have won a World Championship Grand Prix, with a total of 80 victories between them; Toni Elías (10), Mattia Pasini (10), Gabor Talmacsi (9), Julián Simón (8), Héctor Faubel (7), Mike di Meglio (5), Thomas Lüthi (5), Fonsi Nieto (5), Andrea Iannone (4), Sergio Gadea (3), Roberto Rolfo (3), Stefan Bradl (2), Alex Debón (2), Lukas Pesek (2), Yuki Takahashi (2), Anthony West (1), Alex de Angelis (1) and Scott Redding (1).

Moto2 in the CEV Buckler

Moto2 bikes made their first competitive outing in the 2009 edition of the CEV Buckler - the Spanish National Road Racing Championship, with teams such as Promo Racing, Laglisse and BQR lining up early Moto2 prototypes and displaying impressive potential.