The Qianjiang group is unquestionably one of the most aggressive and fastest growing motorcycle companies from China, if not the entire world. Being the owner of numerous brands such as Benelli, Keeway, and QJ Motor, the brand has seen rapid growth in both the Asian and European markets, as well as announcing its entry into the U.S. market.
Apart from being a formidable up and coming player in the global motorcycle industry, QJ Motor, the flagship brand of the Qianjiang group, is also ramping up its initiatives in motorsport. In the 2022 season, the brand made its debut in the Moto3 category, partnering with the Avintia team. For the 2023 season, the brand is moving up the ranks as the main sponsor of the Gresini Racing Team in the Moto2 category. As such, the racing team founded by the late and great Fausto Gresini is being renamed as the QJ Motor Gresini Racing team for the upcoming Moto2 season.
The team will be employing two up and coming racers in the form of 21-year-old Czech rider Filip Salac, as well as 21-year-old Spanish rider Jeremy Alcoba. In QJ Motor Gresini Racing's official statement, Salac stated, "I’m happy to start my second year in Moto2 with a crew I already know. We did a good job in the last races of 2022 and I hope we will start right from where we finished."
Salac hopes to deliver an even better performance in 2023, hoping to finish in the top 10 in all the races. "My target is to gain as much experience as possible and try to finish all the races in top10 and points. For me, as a rider, it will be a very important season as I’m not a rookie anymore and it’s time for me to show my real potential. Now I’m moving to Spain to train in the best way and be ready for the first test of the season. I hope everything will work as I planned, and to find the same atmosphere in the team as last year, which was amazing!"
Similar to previous seasons, the Moto2 machinery remains the same. Race bikes consist of 765cc, inline-three-cylinder engines from Triumph mated to a lightweight Kalex chassis. For 2023, Triumph has tuned the engines to produce 140 horsepower, thanks to increasing the rev ceiling thanks to longer valves, a new cylinder head, and a higher compression ratio. Moto2 race bikes typically weigh in at just 135 kilograms, giving them similar power-to-weight ratios as liter-class road-going supersports.
