Triumph hands over 2019 Moto2 engines

Triumph used last weekend's Spanish Grand Prix at Motorland Aragon to deliver 32 completed 765cc triple-cylinder engines that will form the Moto2 World Championship’s control engine for the next three seasons.

MotoGP rights holder Dorna announced the deal in the first half of last year, which would replace the ageing inline four-cylinder 600cc Honda engine that has powered the intermediate series since its 2010 inception with the 765cc triple. Now, after two years of development and a swathe of modifications, the British marque has completed the development of the Street Triple 765 RS’s production engine into fully-fledged grand prix racer.

As well as the series’ specific Magneti Marelli racing ECU, the 765cc triple benefits from a modified cylinder head for increased gas flow, and titanium valves and stiff springs to cope with the higher revs asked from a racing engine. There’s a new slipper clutch, which teams will be able to tune, a taller first-gear ratio, thinner engine covers to keep the weight low and and a different sump to give the exhaust headers a straighter run.

“We are incredibly pleased with the outcome,” Steve Sargent, Triumph’s chief product officer, said. “For me this is just the beginning as we will continue to support the engine program and feed the key learnings into our motorcycle development, particularly in our class-leading Street and Speed Triples.’’

The 2019 Moto2 teams and riders will have their first opportunity to use the new engines in the first official 2019 test, taking place over November23-25, and in the wake of the 2018 MotoGP World Championship’s season finale.