The deal is an extension to an agreement announced 10 months ago which saw Motul become the official lubricant partner to the governing body for motorcycle sport and the FIM’s Endurance World Championship, consolidating the excellent working relationship between the specialist lubricant market leader and the FIM. Hervé Amelot, President of the Management Board, is delighted that this new accord has been reached: “The association between ourselves and the FIM, forged in April last year, has already proved to be very fruitful for both parties, and this further partnership reinforces the links between us. It was natural to meet this new challenge together, in a championship which will allow Motul to strengthen its presence in key markets such as Russia and Eastern Europe.”
FIM President Vito Ippolito expressed his satisfaction at the extended relationship: "The FIM is delighted and proud to welcome Motul on board as title partner for one of its most spectacular championships. It is a major step that will enable the FIM and Motul to share their respective expertise and their passion for the sport of motorcycling." The Ice Speedway Gladiators World Championship is one of the most young and dynamic of the FIM Championships, and is already well known to Motul through the company’s technical partnership with 8-time World Champion Nikolai Krasnikov.
This World Championship is usually composed of three qualification rounds and four finals on a flat oval track covered with ice. Motorcycles are customized, using pure methanol burning 500cc engines and up to 400 sharp spikes 28mm in length, embedded on handmade tyres. Cold-blooded riders protect themselves with Kevlar armour. Taking the bends at maximum speed, the gladiators rip up the ice with their powerful prototypes, which are without brakes, at an angle where the handlebars just skim the track surface. The punishing cold and icy conditions in which both riders and bikes operate gets spectators’ blood and adrenalin pumping! Following the withdrawal from World Championship competition of the Russian maestro, Nikolai Krasnikov, in 2013 Motul will be supporting one of his compatriots, the up-and-coming young rider, Dimitri Koltakov. Firm proof of his promise comes with fourth place in the 2012 championship and his part in last weekend’s capture (with Klasnikov who raced in the event as a one-off) for Russia of the FIM Team Ice Speedway Gladiators Championship.
Products from within Motul’s Factory Line and MC Care ranges will be used in the championship and the extreme climate conditions for men and machines will not only act as the perfect living test bench for the technical departments, but also act as an ideal arena to showcase the products’ versatility and efficiency. Motorcycling competition has always played a key part in Motul’s marketing and sales strategies, and its high-tech performance lubricants are ideally suited to the high speeds reached by the bikes (from 0-100km/h within 3 seconds).
Photo credits: David Reygondeau
