Mahindra Racing unveils all-new MGP3O Moto3™ racing motorcycle for 2016 season at Auto Expo in New Delhi

GREATER NOIDA LOKESH GOSWAMI 

Mahindra Racing, the only Indian constructor in the MotoGP™ World Championship, has unveiled an all-new MGP3O Moto3™ racing motorcycle at the New Delhi Auto Expo. The latest MGP3O is a significantly upgraded motorcycle in almost every area as Mahindra Racing aims to fight at the front of the highly-competitive Moto3 World Championship in 2016.The new bike has been developed at Mahindra Racing’s European headquarters at Besozzo near Varese in Italy, part of the Indian automotive and technology giant’s ‘neural network’ of research and development centres located around the world.Changes to the 2016-specification MGP3O have focused on improved power delivery and acceleration, top speed and further improvements to the Mahindra’s highly-praised handling. The improvements are also designed to make the bike easier for teams and mechanics to work on during the high-pressure MotoGP race weekends. New engine, gearbox and aerodynamic packages are matched by several refinements to the chassis and electrical components. All these changes combine to offer greater performance in tune with a new double exhaust system developed by Arrow. The bike was unveiled at Mahindra’s pavilion at the biennial Delhi Auto Expo by Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group, who said: “We are delighted that the new Mahindra Racing 2016 MGP3O motorcycle is making its global debut at the Auto Expo. This new motorcycle is the first all-new product that has emerged from Mahindra Racing’s development centre in Italy. It is also evidence of Mahindra’s growing technical skill in the development of world-class high-performance racing machinery. We are also very proud to be bringing back the Peugeot Motocycles name to international racing.”The new Mahindra MGP3O will be campaigned by factory entry Team Aspar with retained talented young riders Pecco Bagnaia (19, ITA) and Jorge Martin (18, SPA). Three Mahindra customer teams will see six further MGP3O machines on the grid run by Team CIP, the Outox Reset Drink Team, and MTA Team Italia, all running two-rider outfits.New to the Mahindra family in MotoGP is Peugeot Motocycles factory team, SP Racing. An impressive line-up of Frenchman Alexis Masbou (28) and Briton John McPhee (21) will contest the Moto3 World Championship on an MGP3O-derived Peugeot.“We have a very strong line-up both on and off the track for 2016,” commented Mufaddal Choonia, CEO, Mahindra Racing. “We’ve bolstered our own engineering team under our R&D chief Davide Borghesi, significantly enhanced our procurement, quality control and vendor partnerships through a team led by Michele Ciappina. A mixture of continuity and new young talent in our rider line-up makes me confident that we’ll see some good results from our teams. We are looking forward to further pre-season testing and will continue to make positive strides in our motorcycle racing programme in 2016″.-Ends-

About Mahindra Racing

Mahindra Racing became the first Indian team to participate in the FIM MotoGP™ World Motorcycle Racing Championship series in 2011 and the Italian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (CIV) in 2012.

In 2016, Mahindra is competing as a constructor in its fifth year in the Moto3™ class of MotoGP with its own 4-stroke, 250cc motorcycle: the Mahindra MGP3O. Mahindra Racing supplies the bike to three customer teams and factory team, Aspar. Mahindra also supplies an MGP3O derived bike to factory team Peugeot Motocycles who enters as its own constructor with the SP Racing team.Aspar Team – Jorge Martin (SPA), Francesco Bagnaia (ITA);  SP Racing team – Alexis Masbou (FRA), John McPhee (GB); Outox Reset Drink Team – Karel Hanika (CR), Darryn Binder (RSA); CIP – Martin Vanhaeren (BEL), Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN); San Carlo Team Italia – Stefano Valtulini (ITA), Stefano Manzi (ITA). Mahindra Racing made history in the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix taking the first-ever podium for an Indian constructor. The MGP3O recorded top-five finishes in 10 of the 17 rounds in the 2013 World Championship as well as a pole position, three circuit lap records and third in the Constructors’ rankings. The 2014 season saw a further three podium finishes for the Indian motorcycle, including second place at the Sachsenring. The 2015 season saw a number of close calls and one podium finish at Le Mans.As well as its commitment in the World Championship, Mahindra continues to supply MGP3O machines to Team Aspar to compete in World Championship feeder series, the FIM CEV Repsol Moto3 Junior World Championship in 2016.Mahindra’s bold decision to take on the world’s best at the highest level of motorcycle racing has won the team a number of prestigious awards in India, including: the NDTV Car and Bike Awards – ‘Mobil 1 Motorsport Award of the Year’, 2012 and 2013; the Bike India Magazine – ‘Motorsport Award’, 2013; and ‘ZigWheels Motorsport Award of the Year’, 2012.  For further information please visit: www.mahindraracing.com.

About MahindraThe Mahindra Group focuses on enabling people to rise through solutions that power mobility, drive rural prosperity, enhance urban lifestyles and increase business efficiency.

A USD 16.9 billion multinational group based in Mumbai, India, Mahindra provides employment opportunities to over 200,000 people in over 100 countries. Mahindra operates in the key industries that drive economic growth, enjoying a leadership position in tractors, utility vehicles, information technology, financial services  andvacation ownership. In addition, Mahindra enjoys a strong presence in the agribusiness, aerospace, components, consulting services, defence, energy, industrial equipment, logistics, real estate, retail, steel, commercial vehicles and two wheeler industries.In 2015, Mahindra & Mahindra was recognized as the Best Company for CSR in India in a study by the Economic Times. In 2014, Mahindra featured on the Forbes Global 2000, a comprehensive listing of the world’s largest, most powerful public companies, as measured by revenue, profit, assets and market value. The Mahindra Group also received the Financial Times ‘Boldness in Business’ Award in the ‘Emerging Markets’ category in 2013.