Oldies MotoGP: Moriwaki MD211VF, from dream to (harsh) reality!

At the end of 2000, Dorna, a Spanish company which has held the commercial rights to the MotoGP world championship since 1992 after an agreement with the FIM, announces a historic turning point with the planned transition from the 500cc 2-stroke to the 990cc 4-stroke MotoGP. The calendar is defined as follows:
– 2001 500cc 2-stroke
– 2002 500cc 2-stroke or MotoGP 990cc 4-stroke
– 2003 MotoGP 990cc 4-stroke

If this led to the end of a few artisans appearing in the 500cc (Pulse Muz with Swissauto V4 engine, Saber V4), it also allowed the arrival of new manufacturers in the premier category, such as Aprilia with its 3-cylinder Cube (see here) since 2002, Proton (see here) et WCM (see here) 2003 in, and Sauber Petronas (see here)… Never !

The preparer Moriwaki was also there. Let’s briefly retrace his journey…

Mamoru Moriwaki (date of birth unknown) is a Japanese driver who raced for the famous Hideo “Pops” Yoshimura In the 60s'.

He married the eldest daughter, Namiko, trained in the technique in the face of his father-in-law's refusal to reveal his secrets to him, and remained in Japan to create his own company in 1973 when the latter embarked on a more American adventure. than uncertain.

Moriwaki began by manufacturing steel frames (then aluminum from 1981) for the Kawasaki Z1 which met with some success in the Australian Superbike championship, where he discovered, among other things, Wayne Gardner. He chose to equip the Kawasaki Z1s because his engine did not require new connecting rods and a new crankshaft to be prepared.

At the end of the 70s / beginning of the 80s, the Kawasaki Moriwaki also obtained some good results during the different editions of the Suzuka 8 hours as well as at Daytona in 1981 (photo above), which allowed Honda to take an interest in Wayne Gardner and, therefore, to bring Moriwaki into the fold of the Tokyo firm.

If proof was needed, it would be brilliant when, two decades later, Mamoru Moriwaki built his own MotoGP with a factory Honda RC211V engine!

The announcement made by Dorna in 2000 therefore seriously interested Mamoru Moriwaki who, based on his experience in endurance, thought that the main Japanese manufacturers knew how to build frames for 500 and 750 cm³, but that the know-how of a artisan can shine with a 1000 cm³ super-powerful engine.

Two press leaflets were therefore distributed in the Motegi press room on October 6, 2002, during the Pacific Grand Prix, containing the following information:

1. MORIWAKI ENGINEERING aims to enter the MotoGP category in 2004. MORIWAKI is studying the possibility of obtaining a wildcard in 2003.

2. RC211V, V5 engine will be supplied by HRC

3. RC211V motor will be mounted in original MORIWAKI frame; The MD211VF is currently under development.

In announcing this, Moriwaki builds on all the work done on the MTM-1 in 2000 and 2001. The motorcycle participated in certain races including the Suzuka 8 Hours with a cage-shaped frame made of chrome-molybdenum steel, because it is easy to weld and has high resistance to heat and traction. According to Moriwaki, chrome-molybdenum was chosen instead of aluminum to check the level of strength and rigidity of the frame against the powerful engine of the time.

The first MotoGP appeared in November 2002, one month after the press release. Without active weight reduction, it weighs 160 kg. Moriwaki deliberately chose to build a low rigidity frame to, gradually and following testing, increase it to the optimum level. Which was not only possible but relatively easy with the welded steel tube frame, compared to an aluminum frame (ask KTM today…).

The motorcycle therefore carried out its burn-in on November 13, 2002 in Motegi.

Masao Okuno (left in photo) is impressed by the power of the MD211VF. But the first times in 2'12 worry Mamoru Moriwaki who thinks that something is not normal. Indeed, after numerous sessions, the MD211VF runs in 1'55 the first day, then 1'53 the second.
Obviously, everything is not perfect and despite the suspension settings, the bike suffers from “wheelie”, even in 4th and 5th gear, not allowing the rider to open the throttle fully.

More Mamoru Moriwaki is nevertheless delighted: “My idea of how to make a motorcycle go faster has changed over the last month. I learned the influence of tires and suspension and how difficult it is to control and transfer the enormous power to the ground. It was an awesome experience. »

Just after this (rapid) burn-in, Moriwaki modifies the first MD211VF and manufactures the second. This in particular features a titanium saddle support to reduce weight.

Season 2003

Moriwaki also has the plans for MD211VF #3 and 4 to try new ideas but things accelerate for the Japanese when WCM is refused by the FIM to field its Yamaha R1 engined motorcycles while waiting for its own propeller. As a result, WCM temporarily offers its place to Moriwaki for the opening round of the 2003 MotoGP season, April 6 at Suzuka for the Japanese Grand Prix.

Tamaki Serizawa (right in group photo), former Yoshimura and Kawasaki rider, has been designated to pilot the #211 MD2VF at Suzuka. Before the first session, the Japanese driver's best time at Suzuka was 2 minutes 9 seconds. He was a second faster than that from the first free practice session and finally qualified 16th in the dry in 2'09.416, 2,5 seconds behind Valentino Rossi.

The motorcycle particularly presents good stability when accelerating.

Tamaki Serizawa : “I could open the throttle without any problem when I came out of the last corner. But there is still a lot of work to do, we continue to develop the base of the bike. Without a doubt, it's an honor to line up on the grid on Sunday, but we know the bike needs to improve and it's my job to make sure that happens."

Although encouraged by all his friends including the Yoshimura family as well as Kiyoshi Kawashima, successor to Mr. Soichiro Honda, Mamoru Moriwaki notices a weak point during qualification: “We still have to change everything... To be honest, I didn't think we were capable of achieving a 2'06.8 at this early stage of our development program. However, we are still two seconds off Valentino Rossi's best time. If we can just fine-tune our machine and do our remaining work before the race, I'm confident we can improve our time a lot. I am very happy and excited to compete once again with the best machines and riders in the world.”

The MD211VF finished 19th out of 21 for its first race, 1 minute 35 seconds behind Valentino Rossi.

Mamoru Moriwaki: « Serizawa did a great job as well as the team personnel who got the bike ready in such a short time. I knew it wasn't going to be easy and the goal of our entry was to collect as much data as possible, which we accomplished by finishing the race, regardless of the result. We will now work on a new chassis based on this experience and hope to participate in the 13th round in Motegi. »

MD211VF #3 is ready right after the Grand Prix at Suzuka. Moriwaki focused on turning ability, a deficiency highlighted during the Japanese Grand Prix. A fourth motorcycle is also mounted. Their frames are similar but the behaviors are totally different. Experience at the 8 Suzuka 2003 Hours also brought improved rear suspension response.

Before the fall, machine #5 is ready for Pacific Grand Prix à Motegi.

On October 3, the qualifying session begins. Tamaki Serizawa returns to the pit every 2 or 3 laps to change tires because the mechanics cannot find a good set of Dunlop tires. The bike also suffers from a lack of top speed of almost 20 km/h compared to that of Nicky Hayden equipped with the same engine. Result, a very modest 23rd place on the grid, 3,5 seconds behind Max Biaggi!

Serizawa finished his race 19th, 1 minute 33 seconds behind the Italian before being classified 18th due to a penalty imposed on another team.

" It is reality. I was expecting that, but I thought we could get to 50 seconds. Serizawa was very patient because his tires were already worn out before the last 10 laps. And he still managed to bring the bike to the finish line. I'm grateful for what he did, but Serizawa and we absolutely cannot be satisfied with this result." says Moriwaki.

“When we rode at Suzuka, at the start of the season, we used the second bike, that is to say the second version of the chassis,” explains Moriwaki. “We have, so far, built five chassis and, in Motegi, we fielded the last of them. We did very few tests and ran a new chassis each time. Without racing we can't clearly identify the problems, so we made the most of these opportunities and I already have ideas for the next chassis. I think the most important thing is to find a sponsor. As for the machine, we can build it with the support of our partners. The main problem is finding a sponsor. If we don't succeed, we won't give up. We will find other ways to run. »

2004 season

During the winter break, Moriwaki makes a deal with Dunlop to become the development team for British tires. This allows it, among other things, to carry out tests at Sepang before the 2004 season, in order to test the tires in difficult, hot and humid conditions.

Andrew Pitt, who raced on Kawasaki the previous season, takes the handlebars of the MD211VF to bring his Japanese team experience.

Honest, Moriwaki declared: “The MD211VF is not ready to advance pilots. It still needs to be improved by a pilot. But we cannot sacrifice a driver to develop the machine. We needed someone who has already been on European circuits to take part in our first experience of MotoGP Grands Prix in Europe.”

Tests with the MD211VF #6 equipped with its new carbon air intakes went well, and Andrew Pitt achieved the same times as the Yamaha test team the previous year. Honda has allocated 3 RC211V engines to the team.

The first official appearance in 2004 in MotoGP took place at Mugello which is then quite bumpy.

“We wanted to test our machine on a demanding circuit. We wanted to see how far we could go with the machine we had developed. »

The first session, in 1'57.196 to 5.499 from Sete Gibernau, shows the extent of the work to be done...

Even if the motorcycle beats its own speed record, with 317 km/h, Andrew Pitt qualified 22nd out of 23, 5 seconds behind the Spaniard.

On Sunday June 6, the race started under a blue sky but it quickly darkened and the rain appeared 5 laps before the checkered flag while Andrew Pitt had moved up to 19th despite chattering problems.

Red flag and new start in the rain, during which Pitt managed to overtake 2 opponents to take 14th position. Unfortunately, the bike hiccuped during the last two laps to finish 17th due to a lack of fuel.

“It wasn't a smooth race but I'm happy we finished it without falling. We spent the last year developing a Grand Prix machine. This year we need to achieve a certain level of results during the races. For this reason, races like today are absolutely essential. We've fixed a lot of the issues we never noticed in our testing." concludes Mamoru Moriwaki.

Without having time to modify anything, the small team (3 mechanics) showed up in Barcelona the following week.

Always far enough away in testing, Andrew Pitt however, qualified less far behind than in Italy, 22nd out of 26, less than 4 seconds behind Sete Gibernau, and ahead of the 2 Protons of Kenny Roberts and the 2 Harris WCMs of Peter Clifford. Among the newcomers, only the 2 Aprilia Cubes precede it.

In the race, he did even better by placing 14th and bringing his first point to Mamoru Moriwaki. The Japanese box explodes with joy because it is a good result, after only 1 year and 8 months and 3 races in MotoGP. In the evening, the boss will even go so far as to see beer...

During the summer, and for the first time in 30 years, the Japanese team skipped the eight hours of Suzuka in order to concentrate on the development of MotoGP.

Then, at the end of August, the Czech Republic Grand Prix arrives. The bike has new Dunlop tires and new Nissin calipers.

Andrew Pitt qualified 18th out of 24, more than 4 seconds behind Sete Gibernau, before finishing his race in 16th position, 1 minute and 18 seconds behind the Spaniard.

The day after the Grand Prix, the 250 cc world champion Olivier Jacques tries the bike and his comments impress Moriwaki: “when, and in what way, which part of the machine is problematic”.

The Frenchman, who still wants to race in MotoGP, reaches an agreement with the Japanese team to participate in the Sepang tests then in the Grand Prix in Motegi.

Qualifying did not go very well for number 19: although having been faster than the time achieved with the M1 the previous year, he only occupied 21st place. And to make matters worse, he crashed during warm-up, forcing the mechanics to race against time to change the Honda engine.
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The French pilot suffers from back but took advantage of numerous falls at the first turn to position himself in 1th position. 15th on the 12th lap, he took advantage of Troy Bayliss' fall 15 laps from the end of the race to cross the finish line in 5th place.

This is, and will be, the best result of Moriwaki MD211VF.

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Olivier Jacques: “I am really happy to be back in the saddle, it is a real pleasure for me to participate in the development of this experimental motorcycle equipped with the Honda V5 engine and fitted with Dunlop tires. The Japanese Grand Prix experience was fabulous. We finished eleventh there. Even though the circumstances were favorable to us, it's a great result. The bike finished in decent times and we were able to make progress in fine-tuning throughout the sessions and the race. We were supposed to take part in the Malaysian Grand Prix but, ultimately, for technical reasons, we preferred to dedicate ourselves to testing on this Sepang circuit next Monday and Tuesday after the race. We still have a lot of work to do, especially on the tires. It's really enriching for me, especially since the whole team is competent, motivated and friendly. It's a good thing that we are riding in Valencia for the last Grand Prix of the year, firstly because I like this circuit, secondly because the bike should work well there, and also because I am happy to participate in a race in Europe. I’m very impatient, I’m itching to run…”

During the last Sunday of October, the final round of the world championship will be extremely disappointing for the Franco-Japanese association, it finding no grip on the circuit of Valencia.

Qualified 22nd out of 25, Olivier Jacque was forced to abandon the race.

“But Jacque did not withdraw immediately. He continued driving to obtain the necessary data. He said it was like driving on ice. »

After returning from Europe, Mamoru Moriwaki declared: “It was mortifying. The circuits are full of spectators in Europe. They said there were over 200 spectators on just the last day of racing. And every spectator knows the race very well. People in the racing industry take good care of fans, especially the little ones. Children are future fans and drivers. I thought Japan was far behind. I have to do something about this.

The development of the MD211VF chassis is settled for now. I am confident of having good races in MotoGP when other things are ready. But entering MotoGP was never our goal. We need to bring our know-how to the racing industry. This is our mission. Support home, national or regional races, and train young drivers and mechanics. I like everyone to enjoy the races for as long as possible. I want to support everyone so that everyone can do this. I have learned a lot over the last two years. Now is the time to pass on the knowledge to everyone. This will be our work from 2005.”

After 7 races, Moriwaki's MotoGP adventure ends there.

Today, after a world title in Moto2 with Tony Elias, Moriwaki is still present in competition, mainly in Japan. And, while his son Shogo is involved in the management of the company, on the circuits, you have a better chance of meeting your daughter Midori, who took charge of the team, that Mamoru Moriwaki who is well past retirement age.

Last little anecdote, the team logo, striped in yellow and blue. Mamoru Moriwaki has always been very attached to nature, and, today, the company still proudly displays its love of nature in its logo. The blue in the logo means “mother ocean” and the sky while the yellow represents the earth. There is 70% blue, and 30% yellow, the same ratio as the sea and the land….
Nothing is left to chance !