Yahoo News Triumph enters Grand Prix racing as Moto2 engine supplier
On March 10 of 2019, under the piercing lights of the Losail International Circuit in Qatar, a new ‘British’ era of MotoGP will begin. Thirty-two 765cc Triumph engines will propel the Moto2 class down the desert-set straight into Turn 1 and the first laps of a three-year term during which the Hinckley-based manufacturer will be the sole horsepower supplier to a category regarded as the final, crucial stepping stone to MotoGP stardom.
Since 2010 and when the old 250cc division converted to the Moto2 designation under the auspice of controlled (ie identical) Honda 600cc engines, the competition has been a breeding ground for chassis specialists like Kalex, KTM, Suter and Speed-up.
Further innovation has been sparse. In contrast, the technical and electronic advances of the prototype bikes in the blue riband MotoGP class has meant that Moto2 lagged behind in terms of effectively preparing emerging talent for the 270hp rockets and demanding idiosyncrasies of the machinery that awaits them.
Triumph – a brand with nearly 120 years of history, a cult following and a blossoming portfolio of motorcycles with almost 65,000 shifted in 2017 – amazingly lacks any significant FIM World Championship success. Isle of Man and other national spoils have been seized but the marque is noticeably light in Grand Prix racing when placed alongside other British badges like Norton, AJS and Matchless.
This lack of pedigree did not stop the company vying to become a strong part of the current MotoGP fabric and in June 2017 it was confirmed that it would be chiselling 160 of its 765 engines based on the Street Triple 675 for the purpose of Moto2.
The powerplant is race-prepared by a company based at the MotorLand Circuit in Aragon, Spain, called ExternPro and with the Grand Prix promoters Dorna planning to filter the amount of electronic aids for riders through strict settings of the engine’ electronic control unit (ECU).
For all its proactivity with a diversity of models in the last 15 years and careful management of the brand, jumping into the vast window of exposure that is MotoGP could rank as one of the Triumph’s biggest rolls of the dice, “with a huge commitment from the business” says chief engineer Stuart Wood exclusively.
“We knew what we wanted to achieve with the development; it is not just about performance but about consistency and for the teams to have exactly the same engine to race with.”
Honda’s 600cc units ensured frantically close lap-times in Moto2, to the point where the contest turned into a ‘graveyard’ for a number of promising careers; riders unable to make an impact in the notoriously short window to excel at Grand Prix.
Honda’s wares were fantastically reliable but by the end of the eight-year tenure the competition was perceived as technologically stale, even the howl of the race bikes conveying a sense of blandness. Triumph’s Triple will represent a ‘refresh’ in more ways than one but the motors and thus reputation of the brand will come under intense scrutiny, especially in the first season.
“It has been a very straightforward journey but one with a lot of work,” says Wood of the two-year technical path to Grand Prix. “We started with a very strong basis because people have been racing with the 675 Triple for years. So we know a lot about that engine and it evolved into the 675 for the road which has been very well received. We wanted to put in all the work and the diligence for consistency, reliability and everything happening perfectly on time.
“We have already built all the components for every engine for the whole season,” he adds. “We’ve delivered those and ExternPro are already building them. We already have the build plans for season two and season three. We have the dates, and things are running like clockwork.”
Some of the 18 teams in Moto2 tested the Triumph Triple through 2018 and the whole field had their first taste of the power at a recent outing at the Jerez circuit. More laps will be run at Losail prior to the first round of 2019.
Wood says: “It is very exciting for the whole team, the whole company, to be in racing at the highest level. We hope everyone else will enjoy watching the racing and hearing our engines as much as we will.”
After marginal differences between riders in Moto2 in recent seasons, the introduction of the Triumph badge on the bike tanks should shake up the spectacle: Moto2 could become the most unpredictable and watchable affair from the three-class Grand Prix raceday schedule.
Entering the MotoGP paddock with a large-scale commitment and project is a forthright and brave move by Triumph – one that could make tremendous business sense with the spread of the series in emerging markets and the huge profile in areas like Asia and South America.
Is it also a statement of intent? “I guess so, possibly that,” Wood muses. “More than anything it is about showing people what that 675 is and what it can be: the fact that you can buy a bike with that engine and enjoy it on the road.
“We always have fantastic reviews and it just validates the bike at a higher level and shows the potential for the future.”
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