In 2019 we witnessed the return of one of the most historic brands to Grand Prix racing. Giovanni Cuzari, owner of MV Agusta Temporary Forward shared his thoughts with us about MV Agusta’s first year back, and how they’re shaping up for 2020.
Getting back into the Grand Prix scene after 42 years was never going to be an easy task, especially when you consider the competitive nature of Moto2™. For their maiden season in the Triumph-powered class, Stefano Manzi and Dominique Aegerter were called upon – the former finishing just a whisker away from a magnificent podium at the final round in Valencia.
Speaking to motogp.com, Cuzari is hoping Manzi and fellow Italian Simone Corsi can pick up where MV Agusta Temporary Forward left off in 2019. “In terms of sporting results, I prefer to remain conservative. There is greater serenity in the company and this also affects the team, we are much more involved and supported by the MV owner, this is only good for us,” said Cuzari, talking about expectations for 2020.
“As for the technical aspect, however, we have the new bike, it will be the starting point that follows the wave of good results obtained towards the end of last season. Simone Corsi and Stefano Manzi have already proven to be competitive having recorded the third and fourth fastest times during the tests, they are results that comfort us. All our competitors are very good, very professional and with much more experience than we have. In our small way we will try to live up to expectations and we will do everything to give satisfaction to this brand.”
After a fantastic end to the season, a lot of hope is being placed on Manzi for 2020. The Italian and MV Agusta came just over a tenth away from a dream podium at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in November 2019, and Cuzari admits that the team have been heavily focused on the VR46 Academy rider from the outset.
“We have focused heavily on Manzi from the beginning. He too has made sacrifices in past seasons. We immediately explained to Stefano what our goal was and what our future plans were. This is why we were able to exercise the entire contract. We strongly believe in his rider skills and we believe very much in Corsi because he has the experience and the finesse to help us develop the bike. We have been in the wind tunnel to test the new aerodynamics and we have already made the first improvements. We think he can be a very fast rider as he has already shown in the tests.”
The 2020 MV Agusta Temporary Forward machines will be presented in Milan on 12 February, before the team heads to Jerez for three days of testing from 19-21 February.