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Subscriber Exclusive Feature: The Future of Moto2

By David Emmett |

This is the first in what will become a semi-regular series of insights into the world of motorcycle racing, exclusive for MotoMatters.com site supporters. The series will include background information, in-depth analysis, and opinion pieces. We hope our site supporters enjoy this content, and are open to your feedback.

At the end of the 2018 Grand Prix season, the engine contract for the Moto2 class comes up for renewal. The existing Honda CBR600RR engine is in line to be replaced as the spec Moto2 engine, as Honda is set to stop selling the bike in Europe, and has no plans for a successor.

What does the future of the Moto2 class look like? With the end of the current contract two years away, Dorna has started the process of defining what is to replace the current Honda engine. The first order of business was to explore every possible option, and evaluate the positives and negatives. Nothing was out of bounds: options evaluated included continuing with Honda, opening up the engine supply to competing manufacturers, having a bespoke engine built, and even a return to two-stroke engines.

In the end, though, Moto2 will remain a single, spec engine supplier from a major manufacturer again. The Moto2 teams have threatened mutiny at any suggestion of opening the class to competition, from fear of spiraling costs. The current situation makes Moto2 extremely affordable: running a Moto2 team costs roughly half what it costs to race in Moto3.

Who is likely to replace Honda? All my inquiries through official channels met with failure, sources refusing to comment. IRTA Secretary Mike Trimby told me, "We are in the middle of planning for the future of Moto2. But as this involves sensitive commercial negotiations, I'm afraid I can't comment."

We know who it won't be

Fortunately, other sources with knowledge of the situation were a little more forthcoming. It is certain that Moto2 will remain single engine, and that Honda will no longer be the engine supplier. Honda is said to have lost money on the deal during its time as single engine supplier, and have little interest in continuing.

Having a bespoke engine built is also not an option. Firstly, this would be impractical in terms of cost. Producing the 60-odd engines needed to ensure an adequate supply would be tough enough. Making sure they were all identical in terms of performance and build quality would be difficult. And then producing the necessary parts for maintenance would be extremely demanding.

During the launch of the KTM MotoGP project, we asked KTM CEO if he had any interest in building an engine for Moto2. "We are not interested," Pierer told us. "I'm in favor of Moto2, but not in favor of presenting an engine. Even though we are a successful company, we are a small one compared to our competitors." If cost prevents even a large-scale manufacturer like KTM from supplying a bespoke engine, that rules out smaller engine builders as well.

That was the reason one source gave me for choosing an engine from an existing production bike. Mass production means a plentiful supply of engines, all of which have been produced to tight tolerances, under strict quality assurance guidelines. It also means that the R&D and tooling costs for the engine have already been covered by consumer sales, and do not need to be recouped from Dorna.

Prime candidates

So which production engine is likely to take the place of the CBR600RR? Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Suzuki all make 600cc sportsbikes, and MV Agusta and Triumph also have mid-range sports machines, in the F3 675 and Daytona 675R. In the past, Yamaha have shown no interest in taking over as Moto2 engine supplier, and Suzuki are focused on their MotoGP project and a possible return to WorldSBK with the GSX-R1000 launched at the end of last year.

The most obvious candidates to become Moto2's spec engine are the Kawasaki, the MV Agusta, and the Triumph. Both Kawasaki and MV Agusta feature cassette gearboxes, which would allow teams to alter gear ratios, something which is not possible with the current engine. Kawasaki could use either its 600 engine or the 636cc version of the motor, meaning the engine could produce more power with less stress.

More importantly, Kawasaki taking on the role of Moto2 supplier would ease tensions between the Japanese manufacturer and Dorna. Dorna is reported to have been pressuring Kawasaki to enter MotoGP, unhappy with their dominance in WorldSBK. The Kawasaki Racing Team is basically a full-factory effort in WorldSBK, and only faces a serious challenge from the Aruba.it Ducati team. Dorna believes that manufacturers should be racing in MotoGP, leaving WorldSBK to private teams run with factory support.

Kawasaki, however, has no interest in racing in MotoGP, fearful of the cost, especially after the painful lessons of their last foray into the premier class. Becoming official Moto2 engine supplier would allow Kawasaki to appease Dorna and get involved in Grand Prix racing at an affordable cost, without sacrificing their WorldSBK effort.

If MV Agusta were to be handed the contract, it would allow an august and venerated name to return to the Grand Prix paddock. The F3 675 is a competitive engine, race proven in World Supersport. The concern with MV Agusta is the financial stability of the company. MV have been on an insecure financial footing for some time now, with company CEO Giovanni Castiglioni in talks with investors to take over from AMG. The contract period for Moto2 is five years, and Dorna does not want to risk having to change suppliers of arguably the most important component of a Moto2 bike halfway through the contract.

Triumphant return?

Consensus in the paddock, including among those with knowledge of the situation, is that Triumph is first in line to take over the role of Moto2 engine supplier. It is expected that the Daytona 675R engine would be made available as official engine. The engine makes comparable horsepower to the Honda CBR600RR, but is a narrower package than the Honda. The width of the Honda engine has been a common complaint among the teams in Moto2.

The Triumph Daytona 675R engine is not without problems, however. I asked Kalex boss and chief engineer Alex Baumgärtel for his opinion on the engine, and he immediately pointed to the engine mounts as being the biggest challenge. Engine mounts on the 675R are located on the cylinder head, just below the camshafts. On other bikes, they are located much lower, usually just below where the cylinder block mates with the crankcase.

High engine mounts posed chassis designers a problem. "You don't have much material to work with," Baumgärtel told me. "Making flex in the chassis is possible, but you don't have much space." With long engine mounting struts, it is easier to create the required stiffness by varying the dimensions and thickness of the struts. Shorter engine mounting struts require more precise engineering, and giving designers less room to play with.

Whichever engine is chosen to replace the Honda CBR600RR as the spec Moto2 engine, a decision is due to be taken before the start of next season. Dorna want to ensure that chassis builders have a long enough lead time to work with the new engine in preparation of the 2019 season.

Honda
Kawasaki
Suzuki
MV Agusta
Triumph
Moto2

What a delight to login to. Had no idea Honda were moving away from the 600rr. I raced one here in the states in Wera's novice class. Makes me sad
Great article as always! I'd really love to see Kawa as the supplier

I'm fairly surprised that Triumph seem to be the top contender. The main reason behind the CBR600RR being canned is that the 600 class in general is diving off a cliff sales-wise*. The current 675R was also (according to articles I have been reading recently) at risk of being discontinued. It was only that the engineering costs had already been sunk that it actually went to market.

Lastly - if Honda have been losing money, how will anyone else expect to make any?

* That said, Honda can hardly be helping themselves by massaging a decade old platform and expecting it to sell, even on price. It now has serious three cylinder 675 competition as well as the 636, and even the GSXR-750. What do they expect?

 

Thanks David. This has been of much interest. Honda will clearly have a middleweight sportbike and engine available replacing this one, so the availability isn't a primary point. (The Euro 4 emissions/ABS crap is another story altogether). Their experience with the customer CRT bike was obviously shite. It does look like there is little to gain by providing these Superstock spec motors either. But Dorna can afford to pay a fair price for them too. It just doesn't look to be primarily about the financial terms does it?

If Dorna was just ordering a bunch of crated stock motors from Honda Japan it would be simple. But these are coming from whom, and what is their involvement? What would they rather be doing?

I ran a 2007 CBR600RR for yrs that I loved. Great motor. But yes, it is bulky. I have a Triumph 675r now and it is much narrower. It delivers wonderful power getting you out of corners. But up it really drops off up top. The wonderful aspect of the 675r is primarily the 250GP handling. If your get over the front and rude it aggressively it rewards you by giving you exactly what you wanted and inviting more. I bet that given the option of a more compact narrow engine, or a 4 cyl that allows for a longer upper mount parameter to work with, that the former is a better chassis developer's option. It is FLICKABLE. And torque might not be as exciting as HP, but it sure is rideable.

Is it very qualitatively different which middleweight spec motor is run? Not very much in my opinion. But amongst them, the triple does stand out in terms of narrow girth and manner of delivering power. More grunt. The transmission is notably close ratio relative to the Japanese 4's. W the quick shifter and more torque it seems subjectively closer ratio, but the rpm's confirm it. I am going to change sprockets on mine to get more top speed out of it (much lower than the Honda).

For little Triumph this also may bring interest and benefit that the bigger manufacturers don't share. They could use some press and higher profile in the racing world outside of BSB. With little interest from others in this contract there may be the ability to negotiate a better arrangement for them. "Better than Honda" amongst this caliber of racing could be a PR boon. And they can be proud of that engine...it is a beaut.

There is an 800 (765cc) Triumph triple engine in the manufacturing pipeline right now fir the next Supersport isn't there? Now THAT could be a middleweight dream come true. Goldilocks, step on up to the bowl of Moto2 porridge!

What is of more interest to me is that we may have a transition in Moto2. An era can end, in which we have ended up w "the Kalex cup" plus Speed Up and Tech3. KTM is here. Then the following year we are looking at ALL the teams having a need for a new chassis that is quite a bit different than this aged one.

The Triumph motor makes more change in a stagnant formula possible.
Has my vote!

*Edit add of specs (dyno will be 6-10% lower ish)

The Honda engine claims max 118hp at 13,500rpm and 49lbf-ft torque at 11,000rpm

The Triumph claims max 128hp at 12,500rpm and 55lbf-ft torque at 11,900rpm

Flatter curve on the Triumph, tailing off on top where the Honda holds on. The Triumph has a nice slipper clutch and quickshifter. Nice coatings inside to help it hold up. Racers w this Triumph have experienced a shift fork problem that the factory knows about and will surely remedy in the next one. Reliable otherwise. Thirsty motor drinks plenty of fuel. If we are going to see a 90cc (7.5%) capacity increase for the next motor, expect proportionate gains (137hp claimed?). It is currently 76 x 49.6 oversquare. And did I mention that triples feel GOOOOD?

Great write-up David, looking forward to more of these!

Moto 2 Idea:

Use Kawasaki "Supertwin" ER-6 650 engines and get Ryan Farquhar to prepare all of them!

Will there be a modern electronics package to serve as a better stepping stone to MotoGP?  To me, that's what is lacking in Moto2.  After the sophistication of Moto3, I think Moto2 hampers riders somewhat.  Yes, the less sophisticated electronics means it is a riders' series but riders need to be able to understand and provide feedback in that area to be better trained for MotoGP.

Hello David, 

Your content has always been top class and now to give to subscribers/site supporters the opportunity to read more in depth and insightful articles is a welcome move. I believe that the effort that you put into putting great quality articles on the site week after week is something that should be paid for. Good move on your part. Hope all those who have not yet become site supporters will actually become supporters and it would then be a win-win situation. On the subject of spec engines, I cannot believe that MV Agusta should be ahead of the others. Kawasaki should be the obvious favourite but they are an enigmatic company and move in strange ways. I believe they should enter MotoGP, at a time when smaller companies like KTM are entering the MotoGP field. Guess 2019 is still far away, so I guess nothing concrete will come out immediately.

 

Thanks David.

I enjoyed this article and appreciate that it is for us supporters.  These little things, like the beautiful pictures we get after each event, have made this worthwhile site even more enjoyable.

I wish for a Moto3 times 2 type of class. Have 500cc twin cylinder engines (V or parrellel) with an 81mm bore limit and a 13,500 RPM rev limt. Then the engine size would double at every level. I realize the money involved to have manufacturers build new engines would prohibit this change, but it is what I would love to see!

I'm staggered by the link to the MCN article: 'Only 150 CBR600RRs imported to the UK last year and many of those went to the Ron Haslam Race School'. As it happens I'd have ridden one of those then..

Sports bike sales have gone through the floor, I knew that but didn't realise it was this bad. Admittedly my 5 year old ZX6-R only ever gets used on track days, I wouldn't commute on it - too uncomfortable!

Fascinating piece as ever.

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