MotoGP: 600’s To Replace 250’s
Henny Ray Abrams | June 27, 2008
The 250cc class will be replaced by a 600cc class for the 2011 MotoGP World Championship season.
The announcement came in a press release from the FIM stating that the MSMA (Motorcycle Sports Manufacturers’ Association) had agreed to a formula of 600cc four-strokes, with a maximum of four cylinders. The “request will be sent to all manufacturers. The candidatures of the manufacturers interested in taking part in the new class must be sent to the FIM and Dorna by July 31, 2008 at the latest. More precise technical specifications will then be discussed and established.”
What that means isn’t immediately apparent. If all of the manufacturers agree to take part, a multi-brand series would move forward. If not, then Dorna would need to think about a spec engine, perhaps putting that out to tender.
The bigger question is configuration of the engine and machinery. The World Superbike Championship has a contract with the FIM to race a 600cc four-cylinder class.
Henny Ray Abrams | Contributing Editor
Abrams is the longest-serving contributor at Cycle News. Over the course of his 35-some years of writing and shooting photos, he’s covered events from MotoGP to the Motocross World Championship - and everything in between.
