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In the 125 cc and 250 cc two-stroke era, the difference in displacement between the two small GP classes was 125 cc; the difference between the middle-weight category and the “premier class” (500 cc) was only 250 cc. In some cases, however, the 500cc World Championship was raced with the 352 cc (Yamaha in the 1970s), 360 cc (Husqvarna), or 410 cc (Aprilia). Since the beginning of the new four-stroke era (MotoGP since 2002, Moto2 since 2010, Moto3 since 2102), things have been different. In the Moto3, the displacement was always 250 cc, and the number of cylinders was limited to one. In the Moto2, 600 cc Honda four-cylinder engines from the CBRR were used for seven years, from 2010 onwards. These engines were then replaced by the British 765cc Triumph three-cylinder engines with around 145 hp. In 2002, the MotoGP started with 990 cc (a maximum of eight cylinders were permitted). The new 800 cc bikes appeared in 2007 and, since 2012, the maximum displacement has been 1000 cc and four cylinders. This means that, in the meantime, the difference in displacement between the Moto3 and the Moto2 has increased from 350 to 515 cc. As a reminder: in the two-stroke era, it was 125 cc!
Because the 250cc singl- cylinders with their harmless 65 hp don't pose any great challenges for young riders, Dorna, IRTA, and the manufacturers (KTM and Honda) have been discussing an increase in Moto3 displacement, to 400 or 500 cc for two years, and whether twin-cylinders should then be used to make it easier for talented riders to succeed in the Moto2. These twin-cylinders could then produce 80 to 100 hp.
By the end of the season, they'll have to decide whether or not every manufacturer will be invited to participate, and whether they'll have be a single supplier for engines, or even a single supplier for bikes. Honda has been building standardized bikes for Dorna for years for the junior series, such as the Asian Talent Cup, British Talent Cup, Northern Talent Cup, or European Talent Cup. And KTM has been building tbikes for the Red Bull Rookies Cup since 2007 and has also supplied the bikes for the ADAC Junior Cup for many years.
In recent years, it has become clear that even the Moto3 World Champions and GP winners, such as Dalla Porta, Arenas, Guevera, Masià, and Sasaki find it very difficult to adapt to the much faster Moto2 bikes. In addition, young riders in Italy and Spain are getting bigger and heavier. Also, the minimum age for the Moto3 World Championship has now risen from 15 and 16 to 18 years. The Moto3 World Championship rookies are, therefore, no longer lightweight adolescents but full-grown men.
Mirko Cecchini, owner of the Kopron Rivacold Snipers Honda team, with riders Matteo Bertelle and David Almansa, could also get on board with the idea of 400cc or 500cc twin-cylinderss. “I think it's going to depend on whether the factories agree to a change,” Cecchini explained in an interview with GPOne.com. “With more displacement and more cylinders, the class could also become more selective. We need that. We need to increase the demands on the riders, which would also help safety.”
In the past and present, we've seen that riders like Tatay and Farioli, who are 180 cm tall, are also at a disadvantage due to aerodynamics and their weight. This was also the case for Raúl Fernández in the 2020 Moto3 World Championship, but he still won two rounds and finished the season in fourth place, overall. That’s why he was in a hurry to switch to the Moto2 for 2021.
Cecchini can't judge whether the costs would increase significantly with 400 or 500 cc twin-cylinders, since this also depends on the number of manufacturers that would compete in a new Moto3 concept. “The more factories that will build these bikes, the better it would be,” he stated. “For television, for the media, for the fans, in general.”
“Such a new concept could certainly be interesting,” Cecchini agreed. “Because we also have the problem that young riders have been moving up earlier to the Moto2 for a few years now, because they're getting too big and too heavy for the 250cc class. The Moto3 class is a bit tough at the moment, because the slipstream plays a big role. It's too important for a single fast lap.”
Brand diversity also leaves a lot to be desired. At the start of the new Moto3 World Championship in 2012, brands like Suter-Honda, FTR-Honda, Mahindra, Peugeot, Kalex-KTM, KTM, Husqvarna, and Honda were involved. Today, only Honda and the four Pierer brands - KTM, GASGAS, Husqvarna and CFMOTO, which are all based on the identical KTM RC250 GP - race. Perhaps a modified Moto3 category could also attract new factories, such as Aprilia, SWM, Ducati, Yamaha, TM, or Fantic.
Would Cecchini also want Honda as a partner in a higher-displacement Moto3 class? "At the moment, we're having some difficulties with Honda compared to the bikes of the Pierer Group. Engine development was frozen until 2024. Honda, therefore, supplied a technology upgrade for this year. We've improved our lap times, but the KTMs are really fast," Cecchini admitted during the winter tests. "There are four or five riders who are really fast, on a fast lap and in race set-up. If it stays like this, it's going to be very difficult for us." He hoped that the gap would narrow over the course of the season and that his team would be able to fight for podium places. But this hope proved to be deceptive. The RC250GP bikes from the Pierer Group dominate the World Championship.
Has Honda brought anything new to the Moto3 bike for 2024? "Yes, they have developed something more, but it's certainly not enough compared to KTM," Cecchini said sighing. "So far, we haven't been able to reduce the gap in 2024. At the moment, the KTM engines are a bit faster when accelerating." Why does Leopard-Honda still win several races every year and constantly fight for the world championship title? Cecchini: "They're constantly working and developing the bike. They work very hard. They also have enough money to hire fast riders. That helps them a lot."
In the meantime, Dorna and IRTA officials are discussing with KTM and Honda how the Moto3 class should be structured for 2027. The regulations can't be changed for 2025 and 2026.
Red Bull KTM MotoGP test rider Dani Pedrosa is in favor of the planned Moto3 displacement increase from 250 cc to 400 and 500 cc. But the Spanish rider emphasized: "In the junior series, such as the JuniorGP, we should continue to ride with the 250 cc."
Dani Pedrosa, three-time world champion (2004/125 cc, 250 cc in 2005 and 2006) also sees a need for action, since with 400 or 500 cc, the bikes would be more difficult to control with teh 400 or 500 cc, similar to the 125cc two-strokes of the past, and slipstreaming would no longer play such an important role. "I've been thinking about this," Dani Pedrosa said in an interview with GPOne.com. "I think one of the problems in the class is that everyone rides very close together in tight packs. That stands out when you look at the races. I've never ridden a Moto3 bike before, but the differences in performance are very slight. All the riders are riding at the absolute limit and, if they crash, it can trigger a chain reaction and, very often, at least one other rider falls. If the displacement is increased and the bikes become a bit more powerful, that could be a good solution, especially since the Moto2 is now being ridden with the 765 cc. So the step from the 250 cc Moto3 bike is quite big."
Pedrosa continued: "However, I would strongly suggest that this increase in displacement be only for the Moto3 GP World Championship. If you're younger and take part in the Spanish Championship, the Junior GP, the Red Bull Rookies Cup, or the Italian CIV Championship you can ride 250cc Moto3 bikes for a few years. If you then enter the Moto3 World Championship at the age of 18, you already have a certain level of riding skills. You're then good enough to ride in the slipstream and follow the group. That's why the current Moto3 bikes with the 250cc single-cylinder engines should continue to be used for the junior series. But when the riders move up to GP racing, they should ride in a new category with the 400 or 500 cc. Then they enter the entry-level class of the World Championship, where they need one or two years to be competitive and fast on unfamiliar new bikes with up to 500 cc. When the GP rookies now come to the Moto3, they already know these bikes inside out. That's why it's easy for them to adapt. That's my opinion. 400 or 500 cc. That would be a good concept."
All Moto3 World Champions
2012: Sandro Cortese (KTM)
2013: Maverick Viñales (KTM)
2014: Alex Márquez (Honda)
2015: Danny Kent (Honda)
2016: Brad Binder (KTM)
2017: Joan Mir (Honda)
2018: Jorge Martin (Honda)
2019: Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Honda)
2020: Albert Arenas (KTM)
2021: Pedro Acosta (KTM)
2022: Izan Guevara (GASGAS)
2023: Jaume Masià (Honda)
