When Grand Prix motorcycle racing changed from a 500cc two stroke formula to a 900cc four stroke formula in 2002 the handwriting was on the wall for the 250cc class. That handwriting becomes a reality in 2010 when the new four stroke class known as Moto2 will replace 250cc.Honda will be supplying every competitor in the class with a four stroke engine that is based on their CBR600RR. When Dorna first released rules for the new class Supersport production engines were permitted. This didn’t sit well with the Flammini Brothers and the InFront Sports group that oversees the World Superbike Championship. Their agreement with the FIM gives them the international rights for production based Supersport racing, and they felt that the rules put Moto2 in direct competition with their World Supersport Championship. The FIM agreed, and the rules were changed to incorporate a spec engine with Honda being awarded the engine contract over Yamaha.
The implementation of the Moto2 class was originally met with skepticism by many of the teams and some in the press. Aprilia, who had dominated the class for years, was particularly miffed, but eventually the new class was embraced and 47 teams applied for admission into the series. The FIM was optimistic, "Due to the overwhelming interest in this new class and the quality of the initial applications it is the intention of the FIM, Dorna and IRTA to accept an entry significantly larger than the current 250cc class." It wouldn’t be feasible to have 47 teams so entry into the series was offered to 27 teams/41 riders.
After the initial greeting of pessimism Moto2 is riding a wave of optimism. Prototype versions of the bikes have been competing in a Spanish championship that runs a Moto2/Extreme class with Moto2 bikes that are powered by Honda and Yamaha engines. At the Valencia round in July Aleix Espargaro’s qualifying time was .227 seconds slower than last year’s 250cc pole. Roberto Rolfo qualified seventh at Valencia, and finished fifth in his first race on a Moto2 bike. Rolfo is planning on competing in the championship next year, and he is also working with Dunlop in the development of a tire for the series. Dunlop has been the tire supplier for the 250cc class, and they were recently awarded a three year contract to supply tires for Moto2.
With their initial disappoint behind them it looks as though Aprilia has decided to join the Moto2 party. Although the engine and gearbox will be the same for everyone each team will be allowed to develop their own chassis. A key ingredient that makes this less of a spec series, and gives teams the opportunity to build a bike with an advantage that can win races. Kenny Roberts is one of the 27 team owners who have been offered entry into the series, "I think Moto2 works because it is an even playing field, and that's interesting because in MotoGP it isn't. If you're on the wrong motorcycle there's nothing you can do about it. But paying a lot of money to be on the wrong motorcycle doesn't make a lot of sense. We'll build our own frame. We still have a skeleton crew and we still have the equipment in England to build a chassis, but I'm not sure. We'd certainly design it in England, but probably build it somewhere else. That's yet to be determined."
Dorna seems to have successfully negotiated their way through the waters of creating the Moto2 series, but they recently fired another shot over the bow of the World Superbike Championship when they announced that they would like to see 1000cc production based engines added to the MotoGP series where shrinking fields are threatening the championship. The Flammini brothers have already declared that they will fight such a move, but the manufacturers have told Dorna that they will consider the proposal and have an answer by the end of August at the Indianapolis MotoGP round. Stay tuned.
