The opening round of the 2014 MotoGP series is within sight and MOTUL will once again be an integral part of the championship both on and off track. With MOTUL’s new technical partner Forward Racing having performed so well in the pre-season tests, the No.41 Yamaha topping the timesheets in the very capable hands of rider Aleix Espagaro, there is much anticipation for the season ahead.
Motul, worldwide specialist in the field of motorcycle lubricants and lubrication has been involved in the world’s oldest motorsports championship for a quarter of a century and views MotoGP as the perfect test bench for its two-wheel test and development programme. The global series provides the perfect technical showcase for the marque, and allows the company to develop the products of tomorrow such as the new motorcycling range which was introduced in 2013. The 18-race series enjoys a worldwide TV audience that reaches 207 countries and this is the core audience which is so crucial to MOTUL’s marketing and sales strategies.
MOTUL’s President of the Management Board, Hervé Amelot, comments this agreement renewal with MotoGP: “We are proud to be side by side with Dorna in the expansion of the ever so popular MotoGP. If, thanks to Motul's live research and development in the very demanding MotoGP field, the performance of the best and most modern bikes participating in the MotoGP can be enhanced, we will have fulfilled our mission"
Following on from the increase in 2013 of the company’s commercial support of the Championship, MOTUL is continuing its successful partnership with MotoGP's organiser Dorna. This year corner signage will be increased yet further and visible at 17 of the 18 tracks visited, starting with the Qatar race on 23rd March. In the coming season MOTUL ‘corners’ will be seen across four continents and will include two new areas of note: a corner at the season finale in Valencia which regularly welcomes crowds of more than 200,000 people over the week-end, plus one at the newest venue on the calendar, Argentina.
MOTUL is also proud to continue its partnership with the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France for the 19th consecutive year at Le Mans. The race on May 18th is considered to be one of France’s major international sporting events.
On track, there is more reason for ever for eager anticipation of the season ahead. MOTUL is celebrating its technical partnership with the Monster Energy Yamaha Tech3 team for a record 25th year, and the team will count on the proven experience and speed of Brit Bradley Smith and newcomer to the team from Spain, Pol Espargaro, the 2013 Moto2 World Champion.
A further extension of its relationship with Yamaha comes with the recently announced, new for 2014 partnership with NGM Forward Racing which has made a big impact on the new “Open Class” for non-factory bikes in pre-season testing. 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 and a new focus for attention for the coming season. Both Tech 3’s Yamaha YZR-M1 and Forward Racing’s Yamaha-powered FTR chassis will benefit from the use of an experimental MOTUL lubricant which has been developed exclusively with Yamaha Racing.
Pau Serracanta, Managing Director, Commercial Area at Dorna Sports added: "I am very pleased about the renewal of the agreement with Motul. It is a brand with a significant history in the MotoGP World Championship, providing advanced technology to different top-flight teams in the over the years, demonstrating not only its quality, but also its proven reliability."
MotoGP visits thirteen countries over the course of the season and ten nationalities of the world’s most skilled riders form a grid of cutting-edge prototype machinery. MOTUL is the number one motorcycle lubricant in Europe, and has a presence in more than 90 countries worldwide.
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