Honda out and Triumph in for the intermediate Grand Prix class
It is believed that from 2019 onwards, Triumph will be the sole engine supplier for the Moto2 World Championship and the new, larger 765cc engine from the Street Triple range is understood to be the basis of the racing lump.
A similar triple has already been seen in something approaching a Moto2 machine, the Spirit GP Sport R that was revealed late last year. In that bike, a 749cc version of the motor is tuned for an incredible 180bhp (132kW), and the Moto2 engine of 2019 may make a similar amount of power.
The move away from Honda power is no surprise. The Japanese firm is discontinuing the CBR600RR soon, the bike that donates its engine to the Moto2 series. With no 600cc supersport bike in its range Honda would see little benefit in continuing to build its four-cylinder engine just for Moto2 bikes.
However, the move to Triumph power is also a strange one. While the three-cylinder engine makes sense for Moto2 bikes, Triumph only has one sports bike in its range – the Daytona 675 – and it’s not expected to continue to make it much longer. By 2019, therefore, there may be no faired Triumph race-rep to cash in on the Moto2 publicity.
However, that may be the very reason for the move. Triumph has already campaigned its Daytona in Supersport racing, with some success, and with a Moto2 tie-in will be able to continue to lay claim to a race-proven heritage. Better still, as the sole engine supplier it’s guaranteed to win in Moto2 and can do it while making money from selling engines rather than investing heavily in a race team of its own.
The engine will be based on that of the firm’s newly unveiled Street Triple