MotoGP - Moto 3 regulations announced

  • May 2, 2011
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Regulations for Moto3, the series that will replace the 125cc two-stroke championship in MotoGP, have been announced. We bring you the dope

Iodaracing is one of the first teams to show off its Moto3 bikes

While the talk on everybody’s lips this season might be the ground-shaking team switches in the premier class that happened at the end of last year, another interesting story developing among the MotoGP paddocks is the imminent arrival of the Moto3 class. Meant as a four-stroke replacement class for the current two-stroke 125cc bikes in the same way the Moto2 class replaced the 250cc two-strokes in 2010, Moto3 is slated to commence from 2012. While it marks the end of two-stroke machinery in world championship motorcycle racing, the idea behind Moto3 is to make racing in this top echelon more accessible to new teams and riders.

The new Moto3 will field all new 250cc four-stroke single cylinder prototype motorcycles. But one crucial area where these bikes will differ from their higher capacity Moto2 siblings is that there will be no regulation engine made by a single manufacturer for the entire field. Racing teams have the option of developing their own engines which match the set formula for the series. But to ensure that the big factories aren’t the only teams which will have a huge advantage with their engines, any team will have the option to buy an engine that another team has made. MotoGP’s Director of Technology, Corrado Cecchinelli, explained that the move to four stroke machinery was based on the general lack of interest in two-stroke engines that is prevalent these days. He also commented that thanks to the number of limits in the regulations, these new bikes and their engines will be extremely cheap to manufacture, buy and race in the championship. This will not only open doors to more riders, but will also ensure fairer racing.

The engine in Honda's Moto3 bike is going to be based on the one from the new CBR250R

The Moto3 bikes will field prototype 250cc four-stroke single-cylinder engines which will be fuel injected to contribute to saving costs and improving reliability. As in the present 125cc series, the combined weight of the bike plus rider is set to a minimum of 145kg. Cecchinelli stated that these bikes will ensure that both the advantage for very light riders as well as the disadvantage for heavier riders will be reduced. He also commented that by using engines similar to what is currently used on the streets, Moto3 will serve as the perfect feeder class for Moto2, which in turn serves as the stepping stone to MotoGP. But primarily, reduced costs ensure that there will be many more teams, as we’ve already seen in the switch from 250 to Moto2 and with more brands racing on the grid together, it can only be a good thing for all the fans.

CLICK HERE TO READ ALL THE NEW MOTO3 REGULATIONS IN DETAIL

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