Moto2: without a Kalex, it’s increasingly hard to reach the top

The first race of the season at the Qatar track smiled down on the Italians across all classes, including Moto2. Celestino Vietti scored his first win in the category and Tony Arbolino finished top five. But it wasn’t a memorable weekend for those teams who don’t have a Kalex frame (so only the Boscoscuros and MV Agustas), with only one bike finishing in the points, behind fourteen rivals all equipped with the German frame that essentially monopolises the grid.

With the withdrawal of NTS at the end of last season and team Aspar’s move from Boscoscuro to Kalex, there are only four non-Kalex bikes on the grid this year, or rather the two Boscoscuros ridden by Romano Fenati and Fermin Aldeguer, and the two MV Agustas of Marcos Ramirez and Simone Corsi. These riders finished the Lusail race in precisely this order, fifteenth to eighteenth, which has us suspecting that they might be in for a tough season.

The European Moto2 will be fundamental for development

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Considering the high level of the riders aboard the four bikes, it’s only right to expect some solid results from them throughout the year, although it’s hard to imagine that they will be able to beat a Kalex that now dominates in both performance and numerical terms. But from this year, both MV and Boscoscuro can count on a Junior Team via which to develop their bikes in the European Moto2, which, with the move to 765cc Triumph engines, could become real ground for development.

The FIM JuniorGP will therefore be key when it comes to growth also on the world stage. Boscoscuro once again trusts in team Ciatti, the Speed Up junior team for many years as well as the current champions with Aldeguer. The squad will field Spanish riders Alex Escrig and Alonso Lopez. Riding the team Forward MV F2 bikes are Hector Garzò and rookie Nicola Gianico, who arrives from CIV. Both will have the tough task of contributing to the development of the bike, so that the world championship riders can battle against the Kalex machines on equal terms as soon as possible.

Translated by Heather Watson

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