ANTHONY WEST TO CONTEST MOTO2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS WITH REBORN MZ FACTORY (Zschopau, Germany) Anthony West will compete in the Moto2 World Championships with the re-born MZ Factory Team. The MZ Team permanent grid position was finally confirmed by IRTA after months of negotiations. MZ participation in the Moto2 World Championships is part of an ambitious plan to revive the MZ factory as a major force in the motorcycle world. MZ is using the World Championships as a way to build brand awareness and develop their new patented front suspension system for Road- and Enduro/MX Bikes over the next 2 years in advance of their return to producing motorcycles for consumers. The MZ factory, located in Zschopau, Germany is busy preparing their third generation Moto2 chassis for the upcoming IRTA test in Jerez, Spain scheduled for March 27-29. Although IRTA confirmation was late in coming, team managers Martin Wimmer and Ralf Waldmann are confident that the third generation chassis will be built in time for the test and will be competitive. Martin Wimmer states, “this is the advantage of building our own chassis in our factory in Germany. We are not at the mercy of a supplier. We have the expertise, experience, and tooling to build a world championship caliber chassis in our facility in Zschopau.” Recent MZ signing, Anthony West, is equally confident in MZ’s ability to build a competitive chassis, “At the three tests so far, we have been able to consistently run upfront. The official timesheets coming out of the test are a little deceiving. The weather hasn’t been the greatest, with cold temperatures and rain. Depending on when you were on track, relative to the rain showers, had a big effect on your outright lap times. After six days of testing with most of the top teams, I’m confident we can run with them. Especially when you consider that many of them are on fifth, or more, generation chassis. For sure, the next generation MZ chassis we’ll have at the final test will be even better than the version I rode at the last test in Jerez. I don’t think any of the other chassis builders are going to make a big change for the last test, so I can’t wait!” About MZ”” Maschinenfabrik Zschopau (Machine Factory Zschopau–MZ) history goes back more than one hundred years. In 1919, MZ developed the first two stroke engine to be used on a bicycle. In 1922, MZ built the first motorcycle with a two stroke engine and branded it DKW. Between 1922 and1936, DKW motorcycles won 45 championships and Grand Prix races. During the 1960’s, MZ motorcycles were one of the most successful brands in competition, winning the Six Day Motocross Championships in 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1969 while also celebrating numerous victories in Road Racing. MZ motorcycle production flourished behind the iron curtain, reaching 2 million units (combined) by 1983. However, when the Berlin wall came down, the MZ motorcycles were not competitive with their Japanese and Western European counterparts. Between 1992 and 2008, MZ struggles through liquidations, ownership changes, and high production costs. In 2008, former World Championship motorcycle racers Martin Wimmer and Ralf Waldmann, both German, formed a partnership and purchased MZ. In 2010, MZ enters the Moto2 World Championship with one ambition, to prove that MZ is capable of building world class motorcycles once again and to introduce a new generation of motorcyclists to the MZ motorcycle brand. MZ is back! For MZ sponsorship opportunities, contact Syndicate Motorsport Management, LLC at +1 831 464 3458 or [email protected]