Specifications for 'Moto2' revealed

MotoGP has unveiled the technical specifications for the new ‘Moto2' Championship, which will replace the 250cc Class from 2011.

The controversial decision to replace the current two-stroke championship was finalised in June, but only now have the FIM published the specifications that they hope will achieve the primary aim of lowering costs, yet retain its status as a ‘prototype' series.

Amongst the regulations, only four-stroke, non-turbo or supercharged engines will be permitted, but they will be able to run two, three or four-cylinders. These will be rev-limited and have different weight minimums to keep them on a par with one another.

Together with the raft of technical changes, one interesting motion has been implemented that will see competitors able to buy engines from rivals for a fixed price of 20,000Euros. It will be stipulated as follows:

“The engine (excluding exhaust, throttle bodies and ECU) used in a race is available to be purchased by another competitor in the same race for a fixed price of €20,000 (Euro). Such purchase request must be made in writing to Race Direction within the protest period that is within 60 minutes after the official end of the race.

“The transaction and delivery will be completed immediately at the end of the 60 minute protest period and will be underwritten by IRTA. Teams refusing to sell when presented with a valid request will be disqualified.”

The full list of regulations for the 2011 Moto2 class

Technical Regulations:

Engine

1.1 4-stroke engines only.
1.2 Engine capacity: maximum 600cc.
1.3 4 cylinders maximum.
1.4 No oval pistons.
1.5 Engines must be normally aspirated. No turbo-charging, no super-charging.
1.6 Engine speed limited to maximum:
16,000 rpm. 4-cylinder engines
15,500 rpm. 3-cylinder engines
15,000 rpm. 2-cylinder engines
An electronic system supplied by the Organisers will be permanently attached to monitor and control
engine speed.
1.7 Pneumatic valve operation is not permitted.
1.8 Inlet and Exhaust valves must be of conventional type (reciprocating poppet valves).
1.9 Variable valve timing or variable valve lift systems are not permitted.
1.10 Only wet-sump type engine lubrication systems are permitted.
1.11 Minimum weight of complete engine with throttle body, dry:
53 kg 4-cylinder
50 kg 3-cylinder
47 kg 2 cylinder
Inlet & Fuel System

2.1 Variable-length inlet tract systems are not permitted.
2.2 Only one throttle control valve per cylinder is permitted. No other moving devices are permitted in the inlet tract before the engine intake valve.
2.3 Throttle bodies will have a maximum internal diameter (must be perfectly circle except for the area of dent or groove to allow the injector to come out) at engine side out-let of:
42 mm for 4-cylinder
48 mm for 3-cylinder
59 mm for 2-cylinder
2.4 Fuel injectors will be restricted to a defined type (tba, based on cost).
2.5 Fuel pressure must not exceed 5.0 bar.
2.6 No artificial cooling of intake air or fuel.
2.7 Only air or air/fuel mixture is permitted in the induction tract and combustion chamber.
2.8 No direct fuel injection into the cylinder/head/combustion chamber.
2.9 Fuel specification will be for standard unleaded fuel (commercially available EU-compliant “pump fuel”).

Exhaust system
3.1 Variable length exhaust systems are not permitted.
3.2 Noise limit will be a maximum of 120 dB/A, measured in a static test.

Transmission

4.1 A maximum of 6 gearbox speeds is permitted.
4.2 A maximum of 3 alternate gear ratios for each gearbox speed, and 2 alternate ratios for the primary drive gear is permitted. Teams will be required to declare the gearbox ratios for each gear used at the beginning of the season.
4.3 Electro-mechanical or electro-hydraulic clutch actuating systems are not permitted.

Ignition, Electronics & Data-Logging

5.1 Data logger system will be supplied by the series Organizer.
5.2 Only the ECU/fuel injection control units supplied by the series Organiser are allowed to be fitted to the motorcycle. Electronic control units include the timing transponder, engine RPM control, and datalogger systems. No other electronic control or datalogging systems will be allowed on the motorcycle. The price of ECU unit made by each engine manufacturer must be equal to or less than JPY75,000 (about Euro650).