MAHINDRA RACING ANNOUNCES NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH SUTER
Mahindra Racing will team up with Swiss company Suter Racing Technology AG for the 2013 season. The first-ever Indian manufacturer to compete in a two-wheeled World Championship series will collaborate closely with former Grand Prix rider Eskil Suter’s company to produce an all-new Mahindra Moto3™ race bike.
Mahindra entered the MotoGP™ series in 2010 and put in a creditable performance in the outgoing 125cc two-stroke class. The switch to the four-stroke, 250cc single-cylinder Moto3 class for 2012, however, has seen the team struggle with engine performance despite the Mahindra MGP-30 having a sweet-handling chassis.
With the majority of the field using proprietary production-racing engines from established factories, Mahindra, an important manufacturer of two wheelers in its domestic market, believes that developing its own technology will be more valuable. To this end, Mahindra’s engineers will work closely with Suter to develop a new chassis and engine.
“We have said this before and we reiterate that Mahindra is committed to succeeding in MotoGP. We conducted a 360 degree review of the Mahindra Racing operations to evaluate and conclude on strategic initiatives needed for future” explained Mr S.P. Shukla, Mahindra’s President of Group Strategy and Member of the Group Executive Board, at the Czech Republic Grand Prix at Brno. “We have been impressed by Suter Racing Technolgy – its track record, facilities and expertise and its Moto3 bike design. We were also impressed that Suter shares many of Mahindra’s attributes and values and is excited about this partnership”
Eskil Suter, CEO of Suter Racing Technology AG, added: “It is very motivating for us to be working with Mahindra Racing. With such an important global group behind the team it has huge potential and when you see a Moto3 team with over 340,000 fans on Facebook, more than any MotoGP team, you know this is serious. Mahindra’s presence in MotoGP is important for the future of the sport and I am proud that our company has been chosen to help them achieve their goals.”
“We shall continue to keep pushing for results right up until the last race at Valencia,” explained Mahindra Racing CEO Mufaddal Choonia. “We will continue to learn from our experience in 2012 and all the data we gather will be useful for the future. We shall keep working to improve the 2012 engine and are looking forward to several scheduled updates. At the same time, I am very excited about our new partnership with Suter and looking forward to working closely with Eskil and his engineers.”
About Mahindra Racing
Mahindra Racing is the first Indian team to participate in the FIM MotoGP™ World Motorcycle Racing Championship (in 2011) and the Italian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (CIV, in 2012). On the world stage, the Indian factory team signed off its 2011 debut season on a high note with action packed performances by both its riders. Marcel Schrötter finished 15th overall in the 125cc Rider’s Championship and the team finished a strong third overall in the Constructor’s Championship. Danny Webb made history when he secured pole position in Valencia in the last race of the 125cc era. The team has taken this learning into its participation in the all new Moto3™ class which replaced the 125cc class from the 2012 season onwards.
In the CIV in Italy, the team competes in the 125 GP Class with ex-Italian Champion Riccardo Moretti. The team became the first from India to win an international motorsport event when Riccardo took the chequered flag at the season-opening race of the CIV in Mugello, Italy on 25 March, 2012. Since then, the team has recorded five victories from seven races with only one round remaining. Having secured second place in the Championship, Moretti has now joined Webb on the MGP-30 for the remainder of the Moto3 season.
About The Mahindra Group
The Mahindra Group focuses on enabling people to rise. Mahindra operates in the key industries that drive economic growth, enjoying a leadership position in tractors, utility vehicles, information technology and vacation ownership. Mahindra has a presence in the automotive industry, agribusiness, aerospace, components, consulting services, defence, energy, financial services, industrial equipment, logistics, real estate, retail, steel and two wheelers.
A USD 15.4 billion multinational group based in Mumbai, India and is the only global group that is present in the complete transportation chain from two wheelers, passenger vehicles and trucks to boats and aeroplanes.
Mahindra employs more than 144,000 people in over 100 countries.
In 2011, Mahindra featured on the Forbes Global 2000 list, a listing of the biggest and most powerful listed companies in the world. Dun & Bradstreet also ranked Mahindra at No. 1 in the automobile sector in its list of India’s Top 500 Companies. In 2010, Mahindra featured in the Credit Suisse Great Brands of Tomorrow.
In 2011, Mahindra acquired a majority stake in Korea’s SsangYong Motor Company.
