Pic Exclusive: Danny Kent’s 2013 Moto2 bike revealed

Danny Kent got a first glimpse of his new Tech 3 Racing Moto2 machine he will campaign in the 2013 world championship earlier today (Tuesday).

The British teenager took a break from an intensive pre-season training schedule with pal and former double World Superbike champion James Toseland to make his first visit to the Tech 3 headquarters in France where he got the first chance to look over the updated Mistral 610 machine he will race with Louis Rossi this season.

Kent, who enjoyed a breakthrough season in his Grand Prix career in 2012 when he won two out of the last four Moto3 races, will be back in action when the winter testing campaign kicks off in Valencia on February 12.

Looking ahead to a busy pre-season the 19-year-old told MCN: “Coming to Tech 3 for the first time and seeing the new bike in the flesh, I can’t wait for the testing to start now and I can’t wait to get out on the bike. It seems like the team have made a lot of changes to the bike that are not actually that easy to see.

It doesn’t look that different compared to the 2012 bike but it has a different fairing, seat unit and chassis. The only thing with testing in Moto2 is that everybody uses a different spec engine until the official engine is made available. So sometimes it is hard to see exactly where you stack up, but we will be using a completely standard Superstock engine.

Some will be using a Supersport motor and that’s when you see some riders not normally at the front up there because they are using a fast engine. I’ve still got so much to learn though that I’m not going to be so worried about lap times in testing. I need to do as many laps as possible to learn the bike.

I need time on the bike and need to make each lap count and make sure that I am learning all of the time.”

Here’s the official press release

A leading UK care home group is reinforcing its sporting connections by sponsoring a team in the 2013 Moto2 GP series. Award-winning Maria Mallaband Care Group (MMCG), which was founded by motorsport enthusiast Phil Burgan, is the new title sponsor of Tech 3 Moto2 Racing, which will compete in all 17 rounds of this year’s World Championship series.

Rising young British motorcycle racing star Danny Kent is the lead rider for the team alongside young Frenchman Louis Rossi. Eighteen-year-old Kent demonstrated his world championship pedigree in 2012, by finishing fourth overall in the Moto3 series and is already tipped as a frontrunner in Moto2 this year.

The Tech 3 team is looking forward to showcasing the new MMCG livery for the first time at the first official Moto2 winter test in Valencia on 12-14 February. 

MMCG is no stranger to motorsport sponsorship. Over the years, the group has supported numerous two- and four-wheel championships, as well as personal sponsorship of former double World Superbike Champion James Toseland. Phil also founded the Phil Burgan Race Academy (PBRA) in 2007, a sponsorship programme which provides financial and consultative support to British motorcycle racers and teams.
 
Phil Burgan, Founder and CEO, Maria Mallaband Care Group says, “Caring about the future of British motorsport is something that I’m very passionate about and the opportunity for MMCG to be marketed alongside the success of Tech 3 is an opportunity we couldn’t turn down.

“Motorcycle sport may be far removed from the day-to-day business of caring, however the brand exposure that we experience provides a perfect marketing platform for MMCG. I believe that Danny Kent has the potential to be the best British motorcycle racer of all time.”