MV Agusta To Race In Moto2

Italian motorcycle brand MV Agusta will return to compete in the MotoGP World Championship after being away for more than 40 years. MV Agusta will join forces with the Forward Racing team to battle it out in the Moto2 class. Ahead of this weekend's French Grand Prix at Le Mans, MV Agusta owner Giovanni Castiglioni and Forward Racing have announced a four-year partnership, in which the legendary Italian brand will build chasses for Forward Racing in the intermediate class. The engines for the Moto2 Class from 2019 will be supplied by Triumph, whose 765 cc three-cylinder engines will be used by all teams competing in the class.

The other confirmed chassis manufacturers for the Moto2 class in the next season include KTM, Kalex and NTS. 2019 will be the first time Triumph will be supplying engines to the Moto2 class, since its inception in 2010. Triumph will replace Honda as the sole engine supplier with the three-cylinder 765 cc engine, which is based on the engine of the Triumph Street Triple RS. While the stock Street Triple RS engine makes 121 bhp at 11,700 rpm and maximum torque of 77 Nm at 10,800 rpm, the Moto2 engine is expected to make upwards of 140 bhp, thanks to a modified head and improved intake and exhaust flow.

The new Forward Racing bike with the MV Agusta chassis is expected to hit the track in July, to be used for private tests, the first time in over 40 years MV Agusta will be using a Grand Prix prototype. MV Agusta has a decorated history on the motorcycle Grand Prix scene across all classes through the 1950s, '60s and early '70s, winning 38 riders' titles, with 18 of those coming in the premier class, most notably with contribution from MotoGP legend Giacomo Agostini winning five consecutive 350 cc and 500 cc World Championships between 1968 and 1972. The last time MV Agusta raced in any Grand Prix event was in 1976.