—Â Honda to power Moto2â„¢ until 2015
Honda Motor Corporation, in collaboration with Spanish company ExternPro, will be the official Moto2â„¢ engine supplier for the next three years extending until 2015.
The Moto2â„¢ class, which was initially brought in to replace the 250cc two-stroke class in 2010, has since its inauguration been running a single-spec Honda CBR 600cc engine, with the aim of the championship to drive chassis development and uncover rider talent. It has been a hit with riders and fans from the start, and is providing ever-greater spectacles out on track as the series progresses.
New from 2013 is that ExternPro, part of the Parque Tecnólogico de MotorLand Aragón, will be the company preparing the engines for competition, ensuring their reliability, as well as carrying out regular maintenance. The three-year agreement sees the ExternPro-prepared Honda engines go head-to-head for the first time at this weekend’s Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar.
Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta commented: “Moto2â„¢ has been a success from the start, and just continues to get better! Honda has been our sole engine supplier since the inaugural race in 2010 and I am extremely pleased that we will continue to use its machinery for the next three years. The Honda engine has not only proved an exciting addition to the paddock, but has also been a technically very reliable asset, which is extremely important in motorsports. I would also like to welcome ExternPro on board, who have so far done a very good job during pre-season testing, and will no doubt continue to do so throughout the next three season”.
Shuhei Nakamoto, HRC Executive Vice-President added: “Honda is happy to continue to supply the CBR600 engines for the Moto2 category, as this class has been proven to be a good way to keep costs down and allow riders to prepare for MotoGP, as Stefan Bradl and Marc Marquez are currently demonstrating. We also welcome ExternPro as new partner to prepare the engine ready for racing”.