The entry class in the national Italian championship will now be known as Moto4, bringing it in line with similar competitions on the Road to MotoGPThe Italian pre-Moto3 championship will become Moto4 from 2026, marking a new collaboration between the FMI (Italian Motorcycling Federation) and MotoGP’s global programme to find and support talent from around the world: the Road to MotoGP.
The newly named Moto4 Italy Cup will remain the entry level competition within the Italian national championship, called the Dunlop CIV, and is positioned to provide young talents from across Italy the perfect springboard to international competition.
As part of its evolution into Moto4, the lower age limit will be raised from 13 years old to 14 years old and the bike raced in the championship has been confirmed as the Honda NSF 250 R, in line with similar competitions on the Road to MotoGP such as the Moto4 Northern Cup. Thanks to a collaboration with Honda Italia, competitors will be able to obtain their bikes with special conditions provided for the Moto4 Italy Cup.
Simone Folgori, FMI Sports Management Coordinator: "It's a pleasure to collaborate in an increasingly structured way with MotoGP. Like FMI and Dunlop CIV, one of our main goals is certainly to make the journey of our talents to the World Championship as easy as possible. This 2026 change fits into this perspective: from Premoto3 to Moto4. A category we have always focused on and where our best talents have passed through, who then went on to the MotoGP paddock, such as Luca Lunetta and Guido Pini, just to name the most recent ones.”
Carlos Ezpeleta, Chief Sporting Officer of MotoGP: “Italy is one of motorcycle racing’s biggest fanbases, and the new Moto4 Italy Cup provides an even stronger foundation for the stars of tomorrow – ensuring Italian riders get the best possible start to their careers in circuit racing. The new structure of the Road to MotoGP, revealed in 2025, is designed as a framework to establish similar conditions for riders around the world – wherever they are competing – to strengthen the sport’s foundations and see it continue to grow. We’re proud to begin this new collaboration with the FMI and see our Moto4 concept expand into Italy, a very important territory for our sport.”
CIV StoryThe Dunlop CIV represents the top level of national circuit racing in Italy. The season comprises 13 races across six Rounds, hosted at the most prestigious national racetracks – Misano, Mugello, Vallelunga, Imola and, from 2026, Cremona. The championship is the springboard for the best Italian riders towards international competitions and a high-value communication platform for partners. The championship has five classes (Superbike, Supersport, Sportbike, Moto3, Moto4), 250 riders on its grids, and has several further associated trophies. It was created in 1911 and has since been the starting point for many Italian household names including two-time MotoGP World Champion Francesco Bagnaia, multiple Grand Prix winner Marco Bezzecchi, and MotoGP Hall of Famer Valentino Rossi.