Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Moto Morini Poised For Comeback? w: th MVAgusta, Benelli and Mondial all back in business, Mota Guzzi's revival bankrolled by Aprilia, and Laverda about to follow suit later this year, another of Italy's lost legends is now confirmed as set to be reborn: Mota Morini. At a press conference at Dece mber's Bologna Motor Show, Maurizio Morini - great -nephew of the historic marque's founde r and president of its current owner, Motori Franco MorinVMFM - announced a joint venture with Gianni Be rti, head of Sinudyne, one of Italy's largest consumer electrical goods empires, to re-establish the Mota Morini marque, with a range of motorcycles currendy under development employing Morini's own engines . The engines will be manufactured in a new factory being built in a suburb of Bologna, adjacent to MFM'sexisting plant , which currently produces upwards of 80,000 engines each year. Founded in 1937 by Alfonso Morini and always Bolognabased, Mota Morini was - even by Italian standards - neve r mo re than a smallthough prestigious familyconcern, but with a decide dly sport ing flair to its prod ucts, which brought it widespread respect as an unde rdog capab le of de feating much larger and more prestigious finns and. in its wake , notable commercial success . The most famous Morini racer was the bike universally recognized as the world 's ultimate four-stroke racing single - the 12,000 rpm dohc 250cc Grand Prix contender on which in 1963 Morini's singleton works rider Tarquinio Provini came within an ace of wresting the 250cc World Championship from the phalanx of four-cylinder Hondas led by Jim Redman. By then, Morini had established a loyal following for its small-capacity 12511 75cc street singles like the Settebello and Corsaro, and Giacomo Agostini had begun his racing career on a Morini, attracting the attention of Count Agusta by winning the 1964 Italian 250 title on one before SWitching to the far wealthier MV team . By the time he passed away in 1969, Alfonso Morini could have been well satisfied with a lifetime of two -wheeled achievement. Mota Morini was taken over on his death by Alfonso's daughter Gabriella, who wisely diversified the company's model line upward in 1973 by introd ucing the family of bikes powered by the ultradistinctive Heronheaded 72-degree V-twin air-cooled hicam pushrod e ngine deve loped by chief engineer Franco Lambertini, first in 350cc form with the 3.5 Stra da, then later in 500cc V·twin and spinoff 250cc singlecylinder guise. More than B5,ooo of these individually designed motorcycles were built over the next two decades, bringing Morini a loyal following around the world, and as the first production four -strokes from any manufacturer to be fitted with elect ronic ignition. to othed belt ca mshaft drive and a six-speed gearbox. also re present an engineering benchmark. Unfortunately, though profitab le, Morini's small production volume (around 10,000 bikes a year in the company's heyday) wasn't capable of generating enough capital for the rising costs of developing a new range of bikes, and after an abortive attempt in 1981 to produce an 84-bhp 500 Turbo version of the V-twin, Gabriella Morini sold the company to the Castiglioni brothers' blossoming Cagiva empire in 1987. After another failed attempt at revival by the Castiglionis, TPG's acquisition of Ducati from Cagiva at the end of 1996 brought Morini with it, leaving the company's new management to find a buyer for a marque they had ended up owning almost by default . This sale was concluded in 1999 , to a family connection in the form of Morin i Franco Motor/MFM. A key mem ber of the the roster of Bologna-based motorcycleindustry suppliers , MFM was founded in 1957 by Alfonso Morini's nephew Franco, who, after working with his uncle for a couple of years , left to start his own engine supply com- XiiR Off To Hot Start pany in 195 1 in partnership with his then -colleague Vittorio Minarelli. But in late '56 the tw o partners split up, since when their tw o rival compa nies have between them manufactured millions of two-stroke engines for the severa l Italian scooter and moped manufacturers, each before developing the four-stroke proOnce revered for producing prietary engine " the world's fastest single· ranges they market cylinder fou r-stroke," lOP today. With an annus.ngles pictured here) fabled al production capacilittle-guy marque Mota ty of more than Morini is reportedly on the 100,000 engines , verge of a comeback that will see it produce a range of principally for use in Malaguti and Italjet sporling streetbikes. sco oter products, Franco Morini also currently man ufactures the three-cylinder 900cc Tornado engines for Benelli - under the direction of forme r Mota Morini chief engineer Franco Lambertini, who joined MFM from Piaggio in 1997. Now Lambertini is hard at work developing a new range of Mota Morini motorcycles - but no scooters, says Gianni Berti. "We intend to remain close to Mota Morini's traditions , which are to offer a range 01 middleweight motorcycles with innovative power units entirely developed and manufactured by us - and, specifically no scooters!" Berti said. , So, no bought-in engines Irom Honda or Suzuki, as with Mondial or Cagiva - but not a 67-degree V-twin 6oo/750cc sports cruiser, by any chance? Berti says we' ll have to wait until the end of the year to find ou t - but with the runaway commercial success of Ducati's 600 Monster, which has underpinned the sporting success and financial recovery of Morini's neighbors , don't bet against it. Alan Cath cart Lanza Takes Tecate have preferred. Little was center stage again at round two of the ser ies, in front of some 9000 spectators at the St. Pete's Times Forum in Tampa. Florida, on January 24. In a dramatic six-ride r final that had to be restarted five times, Little suffered three broken ribs in a horrific crash on the front st raightaway (pictured ). He is expected to be out of action for one round but is looking to return The AMA-sanctioned Xtreme International Ice Racing Series appears to be on solid ground with two of its scheduled seven ro unds already in the books . The series debuted at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, O hio , where Scotland's Kevin Little stormed to victory in the Grand Final. Little battled with countryman David Meldrum, w ho came from the second row to finish secon d. Se ries co-organizer and forme r ICE World Champion Anthony Barlow of England was third on his Red Bull GM. Rick DeHart dominated the Division II final. Although it wasn't in the way that he'd 10 Joey Lanza rode his KTM to a second successive Tecate Hare Scrambles victory on February I, topping 150 others in the annual event held at Rancho Veronica in BajaCalifornia, Mexico. Lanza beat fellow KTM rider Elme r Seymour, the South African finishing second , with Cycle World magazine's Jimmy Lewis finishingthird on a Husqvarna. Tijuana's Arturo Salas, on his Vemacom Motosports KTM, won the morning's twohour event. Factory Phil Back To Shogun February 7 for round four in Rockford , Illinois. Also battered and bruised in the crash was Sweden's Kenny Olsson, but the SuperTrapp Jawa rider managed to pick himse lf up and pass the hardcharging Barlow to take the Grand Final victory. Barlow led three times before settling for second. Meldrum was third. As the XiiR series moves to the Mullins Center in Amherst, Massachusetts , for round three on Wed nesday, February 'I , Little and Barlow are tied for first in the series stand ings, with 2 1 points. Meldrum, O lsson and America's Robbie McNeill are tied for third place, with 18 points. FEBRUARY 11,2004 • CYCLE NEWS 40th Anniversary Phil Lawrence has signed a deal that will see him compete in the rest of the National Arenacross Ser ies riding a Shogun Motorsports Y amaha , taking over for Josh Demuth, who recently suffered a broken leg. Lawrence had retired from full-time racing last year but has decided to return to help his former team. "Phil is a pro fessional and will be on the box before season's end ," said team manager Jack Yost. "We are working with the time we have to get Phil and the bikes up to speed. It is good to see him back in Yamaha blue."

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