The 2022 Dakar seems as though it only just passed. The success of Danilo Petrucci grabbed asphalt fans like never before for the great cross-country rally, and the second victory of Sam Sunderland also took GasGas to the top for the first time in their history.
But, even though it is only June, the 2023 Dakar is already being prepared, and was presented to the
Italian public earlier this month.
The presentation happened in Schiranna on 15 June, in the historic headquarters of the famous Italian brand: MV Agusta.
MV Agusta itself does not have much history in the Dakar, but its current form is of course derived from Cagiva. Although Cagiva was perhaps better known for its exploits in Grand Prix road racing - with, it must be said, one of the prettiest race bikes of all-time, and pilots such as Eddie Lawson and John Kocinski - it also featured in the Dakar with the Lucky Explorer team in the 1990s.
Then, Cagiva won the Dakar twice in the Lucky Explorer colours with the Elefant 900. First, with Edi Orioli in 1990, ending Honda’s streak of four victories in succession. Then, in 1994, they ended Yamaha’s and Stefan Peterhansel’s three-win streak, again with Orioli. Peterhansel would win again in 1995, before Orioli won himself with Yamaha in 1996.
The Dakar has not been won by an Italian brand since, and the last Italian rider to win was Fabrizio Meoni, who won back-to-back Dakars in 2001 and 2002 with KTM, first with the LC8 950R, and then with the LC4 660R. Those two victories were the first of a period of domination for KTM, who went unbeaten until 2020, when Ricky Brabec won with Honda. Such dominance resulted in a competitive factory replica model, which was just launched in the 2023 spec by the Austrian brand.
For 2023, MV Agusta’s marketing director, Filippo Bassoli, said that the Varese marque’s Lucky Explorer concept - that was first unveiled at last year’s EICMA - will be somehow a part of the Dakar Rally. How, exactly, remains to be seen, but in some ways it can be argued that KTM’s domination of the rally in recent years is part of a European domination that began with Cagiva and the Lucky Explorer Elefant of the 1990s. It would be some circle to close for MV, should it choose to compete.
EICMA 2021: New MV Agusta Lucky Explorer and New MV Agusta 950 Adventure 2022
At EICMA 2021, MV Agusta unveiled two motorcycles that were unlike anything we’ve seen from the manufacturer in the recent past. The Lucky Explorer 5.5 And 9.5 paid homage to the brand’s history in the Dakar and represented a new direction for the Italian marquee.
During the week motorcycle show, the CEO of the firm, Timur Sardarov, also sat down with MCN to discuss what else MV Agusta has in the works. He confirmed that a new 950 range based on the existing 800 line-up is in the pipeline, along with a new 1000cc-plus motorcycle that will arrive sometime in the next four years.
The new 950 range will be powered by the 931cc inline-triple that recently debuted on the 9.5 ADV. On this motorcycle, the engine produces a claimed 121hp at 10,000rpm and 75lb-ft of torque at 7,000rpm. These numbers will likely change based on application.
“The 950 product that we’re building is state-of-the-art. The 950 as an engine will also migrate into other platforms too, in a different spec. This is an adventure-spec engine, and you will see a more sporty, naked – there will be different variations.”
Sardarov also told MCN that, “The Superveloce, F3, and Turismo Veloce… they’re all going to migrate to 950. We will have an 800 and a 950.”
MCN reports that the “migration across platforms is made possible by the new engine sharing the same overall dimensions as the company’s existing 798cc triple, with every machine using that motor sharing broadly the same trellis frame and mounting points.”
Brian Gillen, MV’s Technical Director, also shared his opinion on what lies in store: “We wanted to get to the biggest displacement we could in the existing line of MV bikes, which means attachment points. You’re limited by the attachment points of the swingarm, frame plates, and front area of the frame.”
There’s no information on when these new motorcycles will see the light of day; however, Sardarov did mention that the Lucky Explorer 9.5 will be available only around April 2023 — it’s safe to say that the other bikes based on this platform are still some time away.
Interestingly, Sardarov also mentioned that a high-performance combustion engine is being developed as well.
“Some of the car manufacturers have stopped producing high-performance engines and they’re moving into electric. We’re still working on one more high-performance platform that will come before electric.”
“At the same time, we are launching an initiative to start building a vision for what an MV Agusta electric motorcycle has to look like.”
“We at MV categorically do not believe that the current technological accessibility will allow MV Agusta to produce anything in the performance market.”
“We will show something every year and some of the projects we have started will take a long time, but by 2024-2025 you definitely will see very special machines rolling out of MV Agusta.”
While it’s still a few years away, it sounds like MV Agusta’s final combustion engine motorcycle will be something really special.
Source: MCN