Moto2 to Use Honda 600cc Engines until 2015

Italtrans Racing Team’s Takaaki Nakagami (Moto2)

Moto2 Championship News

When the Moto2 championship replaced the two-stroke 250cc class in 2010, each motorcycle used a spec-Honda CBR 600cc engine. With a spec engine, the idea behind the Moto2 class was to “drive chassis development and uncover rider talent.”

And if you followed this series for the past three years, talent has been uncovered (think Marc Marquez and Stefan Bradl, both who are competing in the 2013 MotoGP Championship on Honda RC213V machinery).

Honda has continued to supply the engines through 2013, and on Saturday MotoGP reported that Honda Motor Corporation, in partnership with Spanish company ExternPro, will be the official Moto2 engine supplier for the next three years extending until 2015.

MotoGP reports that 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.

Carmelo Ezpeleta (Dorna Sports CEO) says: “Moto2™ 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) says: “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.”