Triumph's Moto2 Review
T
riumph's Moto2 experience
has so far been beneficial to
the riders and the quality of the
racing, most observers agree—
with the extra torque and closer-
ratio gearing compared with the
smaller and more street-based
Honda 600 predecessor giving
riders more to play with.
Where the Honda-powered
bikes generally were stuck with
one corner line, all in the same
gear, the new generation offers
different possibilities to riders,
encouraging more overtaking.
An informal half-season review
coincided with the launch of the
new Moto2 road bike and was
perhaps justifiably self-congratu-
latory in tone.
Race records had fallen at
every track so far, although not
always lap records, in spite of
the extra power and torque. This,
said an insider, was the conse-
quence of new-generation tires,
which were deliberately conser-
vative, while the tire endurance
did allow the race times to be
cut.
Another landmark came at
Mugello when SKY VR46 rider
Nicolo Bulega clocked a top
speed o0f 300.6 km/h (186.78
mph), the first Moto2 bike to
exceed 300.
With sealed engines required
to do three races before replace-
ment and a total of 200,000 km
clocked up in racing and test-
ing, reliability had been good
enough to allow the rev limit to
be increased from 14,000 to
14,500 rpm. However, some rid-
ers had been exceeding the limit
on back-shifting, and persistent
offenders who damaged engines
would be charged 5,150 Euros
for a rebuild.
The Triumph Moto2 contract
runs for three years, and mark
the old marque's first official
entry into GP racing. Triumph's
previous racing efforts were
concentrated mainly on U.S.
racing. Under owner John Bloor,
who bought the ailing company
in 1983, the involvement in racing
had hitherto been strictly limited.
Michael Scott
IN
THE
WIND
P36
It's been a successful transition
into Moto2 for Triumph.
PHOTO: GOLD & GOOSE
