Motozoo Racing to run two MV Agusta F3 800 RR machines in 2024 WorldSSP campaign
The WorldSSP outfit have raced with Kawasaki machines since their debut but will switch to MV Agusta for next season
MV Agusta’s presence on the FIM Supersport World Championship grid will double next year as Motozoo ME AIR Racing swap to the Italian brand. The team, who won the WorldSSP Challenge this year running the Kawasaki ZX-6R with Tom Booth-Amos, will run two MV Agusta F3 800 RR machines in 2024. The team’s line-up is yet to be announced with Team Manager Fabio Uccelli stating their two riders would be announced “soon”.
The squad made their WorldSSP debut back in 2021 in a collaboration with the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing outfit, running with five different riders including double WorldSSP300 Champion Jeffrey Buis, on the back of his first title in 2020, and four-time WorldSBK race winner Michel Fabrizio. Buis remained with the team in 2022 alongside Ben Currie, although Eugene James McManus and Booth-Amos also made appearances for the team.
Their 2023 line-up comprised of British star Booth-Amos and Australian teenager Luke Power, with the former regularly scoring points and competing inside the top ten as he took the WorldSSP Challenge title. Power’s campaign was spent learning the tracks, tyres and machine after stepping across from MotoAmerica. Booth-Amos finished 15th in the Championship while his teammate was 41st after scoring just a single point.
However, for 2024, a new challenge awaits the team. After three seasons with the Kawasaki ZX-6R, the Italian squad will run two MV Agusta F3 800 RR machines. This bike was introduced under the Next Generation ruleset in WorldSSP and has won two races since 2022. Niki Tuuli claimed victory in Race 1 at Mandalika last year, while Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) took a stunning win in Barcelona Race 2 as he led a MV Agusta 1-2. It means the brand will go from two to four bikes for next season.
Discussing the switch to the Italian manufacturer, Fabio Uccelli said: “I am really happy to have chosen MV Agusta as a partner for the next few years. The collaboration with the MV Agusta Reparto Corse team will allow our team to take the step of growth and evolution that we want and that it is right for us now, three years after our debut in the World Championship. We’ve just had a wonderful season where we were protagonists and in which, in addition to winning the World Supersport Challenge, we often entered the top ten overall. This collaboration will allow us to have two recently produced, highly competitive bikes, which will surely give our two riders the chance to shine.
“Having a brand like MV Agusta is a great pride, above all because it is a historic brand of motorsport, with 37 world titles to their name, and which also aims to be a protagonist in the near future. They have made a highly competitive bike, and I am sure it will give us a lot of satisfaction next season. When the opportunity arose for an agreement with them, I didn't think twice. Now we will have to wait for the two bikes to arrive so that we can take to the track for the first tests. We'll have a lot to learn, so I can't wait to get to know the bike. Soon we will also communicate the names of the two riders who will compete with us next season, we are defining the last details. I can say that we will have a very competitive training, with a mix of experience, talent and speed. I can't wait to start the engines and get on the track.”
Andrea Quadranti, Team Manager at MV Agusta Reparto Corse, discussed the benefits of a second team for the manufacturer, saying: “I am very happy to finally be able to start a direct collaboration with a high-level team such as Motozoo ME AIR Racing, and to be able to field another two competitive F3s in the starting grid. All this will allow us to acquire more data in order to further develop our bikes and take that extra step that we are still missing.”
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