As the 2014 MotoGP season gears up for its opening round in Qatar on 23rd March, just two weeks away, worldwide specialist in the field of motorcycle lubricants and lubrication, Motul, is increasing its presence in MotoGP with the launch of an exciting new technical partnership.
Motul will become official lubricant partner to MotoGP team NGM Mobile Forward Racing and the team’s Yamaha-engined FTR, which will compete in the new “open” class in 2014, will carry the company’s iconic red and white logos. The new association is in addition to the lubricant company’s long-standing relationship with Tech3, and precedes the much heralded return to competition in 2015 of Suzuki.
Mr Hervé Amelot, President of the Managing Board of Motul, is enthusiastic about the company’s latest partnership: “We are very happy to have signed this agreement with Forward Racing, a very professional team which has been making great progress year on year in terms of performance. This association reinforces the strong historic links between Motul and Yamaha at the highest levels of motorcycling competition, MotoGP.”
Forward Racing’s riders in 2014 will be the two-time World Superbike Champion, ‘Texas Tornado’ Colin Edwards, and Aleix Espargaro, the Spaniard being the top CRT finisher in 2013. For the American, it is something of a ‘home-coming’ as he has carried Motul’s colours many times in his career while at the Yahama factory team and Tech 3. The relatively young team has made quite an impact on international motorcycling since its launch in 2009 and is enthusiastic about the coming year and its new avenues. The “Open Class” replaces the Claiming Rule Team category; bikes have pre-determined ECUs and software but more fuel available than the factory class entries. Espargaro has been the standout rider in pre-season testing which has given both he and the team much confidence for the races to come.
Marco Curioni, Managing Director of NGM Mobile Forward Racing, added: "We are very pleased and satisfied to collaborate with Motul, both for the supply of their products and for their technical support. We are very proud too of this collaboration because is another indication of the high level of regard and commitment which Yamaha and its top technical partners have shown in our project for the 2014 season."
Motul views MotoGP, which hosts the finest technical and riding talents in motorcycle racing, as the perfect test bench for its two-wheel test and development programme and the global series provides the perfect backdrop at which to carry out that research. Furthermore, with the launch earlier last year of its new technologically advanced motorcycle lubricant range, visibility in the championship allows Motul multiple opportunities to reach its consumers.
