Next year, they highly anticipated Moto3 class of racing will debut. The new Moto3 class will replace the current 125cc racing series in 2012, and will provide a clear path for young riders to take to the MotoGP.
Corrado Cecchinelli, the MotoGP Director of Technology, said that the Moto3 class will provide many benefits for young riders. The Moto3 will use 4-stroke engines, instead of the 2-strokes that are currently used in the 125cc class. The MotoGP also says that the Moto3 motorcycle will be cheaper to race, which should open the door to more competitors and fairer racing.
"The main reason for this concept is having something more in line with the present times, because for the majority in the real world, nobody is interested in two-stroke engines," Cecchinelli said. "They are rarely used now. The second thing is that we believe with the number of limits in the regulations, it will be a very cheap bike and engine to make, buy and maintain for the race, therefore this should open the doors to more riders and ensure fairer racing."
Cecchinelli also thinks that using 4-stroke engines in the Moto3 class will make young riders more prepared when they switch to the Moto2 class, and eventually the MotoGP.
" I think it will bring a better and more modern image to the sport, but more than that, it will become in line with the following categories. It will be more suitable to become the first step for a rider/team from the base level to MotoGP racing."
"The engine will be a prototype engine and it will be 250cc. It will be a single engine, fuel injected and it will contribute to saving costs and improving reliability. The machine will be considered together with the rider, as in the present 125cc series. It will weigh 148 kilos, the difference to what we have with the current 125cc, will be more than we expected from the engine itself.
"This is in line with what I had said earlier about making it more of a championship where they can progress onto MotoGP, this is because the advantage for very light riders will be reduced, as well as the disadvantage for heavier riders will also be reduced.
"It will be a more interesting challenge technically, because it will be the type of engine that is better known today by everyone and closer to what everybody is actually using. There will be many more engines in the race compared to the present 125cc category, as we'll have many different brands which will be interesting for the fans."
The MotoGP has slowly been making the switch over to four-stroke engines. The MotoGP class was the first to make the switch in 2002, and was followed by the creation of the Moto2 series last year.
