Chinese whisper
By TMX Archives on 21st May 08
YOU may or may not know that a brand new name is to appear in the 125cc class of MotoGP in 2008. It will appear under the name of Maxtra, mainly because the name of the parent factory is Haojue, a name virtually unpronouncable to Western tongues, so those in charge of the embryo race effort dreamed-up something a little more trendy. Haojue (I have to concentrate every time I spell it) is, apart from being a jumble of vowels with a couple of consonants thrown in at random, if you haven't already guessed, a Chinese motorcycle factory. And a damned big one at that.
In fact it is claimed that it is the largest producer of machines for the domestic market with its production run having grown from an impressive one million units in 2003 to a mind-blowing 2.7 million units in 2007. And to think that Britain once had a motorcycle industry...
Whatever. Here's the best bit, that allows me to give my favourite hobby-horse a good gallop. Maxtra will be producing a brand-new two-stroke engine with which to take on the KTMs and Aprilias which dominate in the 125 class after it has been all but given up by the Japanese as they seek four-stroke world domination. I don't expect KTM and Aprilia to be too worried about this newcomer, rather I expect them to be heartened as KTM at least have far from given-up on the two-stroke cause while Aprilia has an entire racing department dependant on its 125cc single and 250cc twin-cylinder racers.
The chassis for the Maxtra will (has been) developed by British specialist firm Harris Engineering, but the engine will be the work of the Chinese factory, in order to prove that it really is at the leading edge of technology and can compete with the established best in the world, including the likes of the mighty HRC. The engine has been designed by respected engineer Jan Witteveen and is a reed-valve two-stroke single but with some interesting advances. It is expected to knock-out some 46bhp at the rear wheel with the engine spinning at around 13,000 rpm.
Figurehead of the new team is none other than John Surtees, the only man to win World Championships on two and four wheels while the Team Manager is ex Suzuki MotoGP boss Garry Taylor.
Interestingly, Haojue does have a strong existing manufacturing tie with Suzuki and while the following is pure speculation on my part, this venture would allow Suzuki to unofficially keep a finger in the two-stroke pie while still chanting the four-stroke mantra in Japan along with Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki.
I have said this before but the lobby to ban two-strokes from competing in competition has everything to do with being seen to be ‘green' but in the real world the amount of pollution put out by every two-stroke comp bike in use in the world does not even count as a drop in the ocean. This morning I heard that 15,000 British football fans were flying to Russia to watch the Champions League final. That represents, at a conservative estimate, 40 gas-guzzling jets heading to Moscow, spewing however many tons of pollution into the atmosphere. And all of it totally unnecessary in the great scheme of things... How much pollution, in reality, do a few little two-strokes knock out compared to that? Sod all is what. But I mustn't get wound-up about stuff like that.
Back to two-strokes. What, you are asking, does a Chinese factory entering GP road racing have to do with off-road? Well, I have made a few enquiries from – as the Sun would say – sources.
And my impeccable sources say that Haojue are not just running the Maxtra team as a pure marketing exercise, they are serious about two-stroke development. Not only that but there is the chance that they could move into the off-road market...
As they used to say in the newspaper industry - Watch this space!
Talking of four-strokes, I see that MotoGP promoters Dorna have proposed an all four-stroke prototype replacement class for the current 250 two-strokes. Personally I think they are having a laugh. Can I remind them that their MotoGP class currently has a mere 18 bikes on the grid, assuming that they are all fit to start. The reason? Costs, pure and simple. Contrast that with a regular 40 starters in the 125cc class where the simple little single-cylinder strokers are fast, reliable and AFFORDABLE.
The 125cc MX class was/ is always hyper-competitive and relatively inexpensive, especially at club and beginner level.
Why are we throwing this away?
Bring on the Chinese...