Mahindra welcomes Peugeot brand to Moto3 grid

Two Peugeot MGP3O machines are set to be campaigned by the successful Saxoprint Racing Team Germany in the hands of experienced French rider Alexis Masbou and 21-year-old Scot John McPhee.

The Mahindra Group acquired a 51% stake in Peugeot Motocycles, the world’s oldest motorcycle maker, in 2014.

This year, a Mahindra-Peugeot MGP3O racer took the Riders’ and Constructors’ titles in the Italian CIV Moto3 championship in the hands of 16-year-old Marco Bezzecchi.

Now the historic French marque, that produced its first motorcycle back in 1898 and recorded victories in famous races such as the Bol d’Or during the 1950s, will be back at the top-level of international motorcycle racing.

“We are delighted to add a Peugeot Motocycles entry to our Moto3 line-up for 2016 and are looking forward to next season being the biggest and most successful so far for Mahindra Racing,” affirmed Ruzbeh Irani, Mahindra Racing Chairman and Mahindra’s President (Group Communications & Ethics) and Chief Brand Officer.

Mahindra Racing CEO Mufaddal Choonia added, “We are a growing force in the Moto3 paddock, and the addition of the Peugeot Motocycles entry to our line-up will have a number of technical benefits for Mahindra as well as brand benefits for Peugeot Motocycles. I am confident that the extensive work that we are undertaking on the MGP3O at our new technical centre in Italy will result in greater on-track success for both Mahindra Racing and Peugeot Motocycles.”

The Peugeot MGP3O will share its mechanical DNA with the Mahindra Racing bikes on the grid, but Peugeot Motocycles will contest the series as a Constructor in its own right. The addition of the two Peugeot racers further underlines the growing presence of Mahindra in international motorcycle racing. The only Indian constructor in MotoGP will continue to run programmes in the CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship and the Italian CIV series.