It is a Moto2 category very different from the one that has been in place since 2010 which will launch into the 2019 season. Like a new story with a new engine. But also fewer chassis. Among those who took their last breath, there is the French Mistral 610 wanted and assumed by the team Tech3. A challenge, a challenge taken up by the men of a Hervé Poncharal who says he is proud of this adventure “ unbelievable ».
Tech3 did not let go of the intermediate Grand Prix discipline when it moved from 250 two-strokes to 600 four-strokes. So much so that the French decided to go to the front as a constructor. And not as an assembler of Kalex, Suter and other Moriwaki. Although several other satellite MotoGP teams had, at the time, expressed interest in creating their own Moto2 machine, only Tech3 finally took up the challenge.
The boss Hervé Poncharal remembers on crash.net : " we are a team. We have limited resources in terms of manpower and budget and we have to fight with manufacturers like KTM or even Kalex… But we did it because it was a crazy idea! And we did it for nine years. We were competitive in terms of podiums and victories. But now we close this chapter and open another without any sadness. No way. This is part of our adventure. It's a part of our life ».
An adventure which also greatly helped the team in its technical knowledge: “ we learned a lot. Because when you build a complete motorcycle around an engine – chassis, aerodynamics – you understand many things that have clearly helped everyone on the team develop into engineers. And when you talk to a new manufacturer like KTM, you can tell them about your experience. In addition, when you have to assemble a motorcycle, you sometimes understand better and faster than if you only worked as a mechanic in a garage ».
The Frenchman finishes: “ The Mistral was an internal, artisanal Tech3 project and everyone – even the MotoGP guys – participated in this adventure. So I think it raised the technical level of each member of the Tech3 team ».
But now, we must do differently: “ it’s good to have lots of projects, but sometimes if you’re a savvy manager – and I try to be! -, you must also understand that there is a limit. Also, when we started the Moto2 chassis project, there were fewer races. So it was an incredible adventure, but now we have new adventures: helping KTM develop in MotoGP, also supporting them in Moto2 and getting involved in MotoE. So much more... »
It will be recalled that the Mistral 610 won victory in the hands of Yuki Takahashi during his first year, the last of his six podiums coming from Xavi Virgo at Motegi in 2017. In the meantime, Bradley Smith won the most podiums (three) with this bike, all in 2011, before moving to MotoGP for the same French team.
