MV Agusta to return to GP racing

Made official this past June, MV Agusta’s upcoming participation in Moto2 means the Italian brand will be back in grand prix competition for the first time in more than four decades. MV Agusta last raced at GP level in 1976, when the legendary Giacomo Agostini rode for the brand and delivered their last premier class win before the race team was dissolved that same year

MV Agusta had been part of GP racing since it began in 1949, scoring their first race win that same year, then their first world championship in 1952. More success followed, with 38 rider and 37 constructor world championship crowns achieved between 1952 and 1974, making them the most successful European manufacturer ever.

For 2019, MV Agusta will partner with Forward Racing Team, which has been in Moto2 since its inception in 2010 and also ran a MotoGP effort that delivered a championship in the ‘Open’ subcategory of the premier class in 2014.

The four-year deal between the two parties will see the race bikes designed and built by MV Agusta, while Forward Racing Team will run the competition campaign. Forward’s current chassis supplier, Suter, will reportedly remain involved with behind-the-scenes design and development work, and will also supply suspension componentry. Like all Moto2 entrants next year, the MV Agusta Forward Racing Team will run a Triumph 765cc triple that will be the new control engine for the series. 

Prototypes of the MV Agusta race bikes are said to be well-advanced, with private testing commencing in July. Both MV Agusta and Forward Racing Team are confident in being race-ready for round 1 of the 2019 season.

MV’s decision to enter Moto2 obviously raises the brand’s profile globally, but it also makes sense, given the control engine changes for next season. With the Triumph triples being close to MV Agusta’s own three-cylinder engines in terms of size, performance and packaging, the development of the race bike should be quicker than if they had to build an all-new chassis around Moto2’s existing Honda CBR 6000RR four-cylinder powerplants.

Similarly, the common engine and other control componentry makes entry far cheaper than a campaign in MotoGP, but the Moto2 effort will still be costly and will almost certainly spell the end of MV Agusta’s current World Superbike program. Shutting down the factory World Supersport team is also a possibility, but the Italian brand has yet to officially confirm their future plans for either of the production bike-based categories.