[kropotkin thinks...] - Moto2 Bikes To Run In Spain In 2009, With 250s In 2010

[Ninjette Newsbot]

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With the ink for the brand new Moto2 regulations still damp on the page (summarized here), proposals are already being made to start racing the bikes as soon as possible. According to Spanish sports daily AS.com, the Moto2 bikes could get their first outing alongside the Spanish CEV series in 2009.

Oscar Gallardo, the former Dakar racer who now runs the Spanish championship, told AS.com that the CEV could get a series up and running very quickly, if they had sufficient bikes. "We would need a minimum of 10 to 15 bikes to organize a championship, something we could do very quickly. The 2009 CEV is due to start on April 19th in Albacete, it would be feasible to organize a Moto2 championship with about two weeks' notice."

"We know that some teams have been preparing bikes for some time," Gallardo told AS.com, a fact confirmed to MotoGPMatters.com by Ronald ten Kate at Portimao. "We're just waiting for a set of rules to be announced," Ten Kate said back in November, confirming the Ten Kate team's interest in providing equipment to the class. Moriwaki have already showed a bike they had prepared in Japan, and rumors persist of Honda having a Moto2 bike ready to race.

The Spanish CEV series - technically it would probably be a "Cup", allowing riders in the other CEV classes to compete, something currently forbidden Spanish championship rules - would then be used as a proving ground for an early entry of the bikes into the 250 class. According to Motorcycle News, the 600cc Moto2 bikes could run alongside the 250cc two strokes as early as 2010. The decision to run the 600s together with the 250s will be taken based on whether or not the 600cc bikes can compete with the 250s.

That is indeed the million dollar question. In an analysis done by Dennis Noyes over on SpeedTV.com, the veteran motorcycle racing writer compares the current World Supersport times at Valencia and Jerez to times set by the 250s during the MotoGP round and the Spanish CEV Supersport and 1000cc Formula Extreme races. What is clear is that the 250s are 1-2 seconds faster than the Supersport 600s, but then the Supersport machines weigh in the region of 160kg, as opposed to the 135kg permitted for the Moto2 bikes.

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