2011 Mahindra Mojo 300 Motorcycle to be priced around 1.8 Lakh!

The 2011 Mahindra Mojo 300 sports motorcycle which was originally scheduled to hit Indian roads in the first quarter of 2011 will now be launched only in the Indian festive season of Dusshera-Diwali. Murmurs doing the rounds previously suggested that the Mahindra Mojo 300 was being reworked in critical areas to boost reliability and this could result in the price of the 292cc sports tourer to be bumped up.

But all that seems to be history now as the 2011 Honda CBR250R has just been launched at an ultra competitive INR 1.43 Lakhs. As though realizing that the Mojo 300 needs a killer price tag to stay competitive, a Mahindra official, insisting on anonymity told Team ICB that plans were afoot at Mahindra Two Wheelers to make sure that the original price point of INR 1.8 Lakhs for the Mahindra Mojo 300 would be retained.

Also, as scheduled Mahindra is all set to launch the 292cc, 26 Bhp, 24 Nm, DOHC, Liquid Cooled, Single Cylinder engined Mojo during the Indian festive season. So, heightened competition seems to have hustled the honchos at Mahindra Two Wheelers into rapid action to make sure that the Mojo 300 has a fighting chance at the hustings. And this, is a wonderful thing as you, the Indian biker stand to benefit the most as things get more competitive in the 250cc+ premium sports motorcycle segment.

Mahindra makes promising appearnce in Qatar

Mahindra Racing – part of the US $11.1 billion Mahindra Group – made its race debut with a fight for a point under the floodlights of the Losail International Circuit for the opening round of the 125cc class of the MotoGP World Championship.

British rider Danny Webb made strong progress from 22nd on the grid to be fighting for 15th and the point which it brings for much of the race, just losing the place with just two laps left in the 18 lap race, meaning that Mahindra finished shy of a debut point by just 0.394 seconds.

Marcel Schrötter on the second Mahindra GP125 finished in 21st after also being involved in race long battles for position.

It was a solid first race weekend for the Indian-owned Engines Engineering designed and built Mahindra GP125. After promising practice sessions, all held at night at the 5.38km circuit, the riders were a mere 0.006 seconds apart in qualifying, lining up in 22nd and 23rd on the 30-bike grid.

Marcel Schrötter on the second Mahindra GP125 finished in 21st after being involved in race long battles for position.

Team Principal Mufaddal Choonia was proud of the team’s debut: “This was an emotional day for us as for the first time the Mahindra GP125 has raced in a World Championship race. By fighting for a point on our debut we think the paddock has seen the promise of Mahindra Racing.

“We have been moved by how much support we have received outside of the paddock too, especially with our Facebook page - www.facebook.com/MahindraRacing - which gained over 5000 fans during the course of the race meeting.

“Both our riders and the team showed tremendous promise and potential for the season ahead and we hope to be battling our more experienced rivals for points in the very near future.”

Leading Mahindra’s charge, 19-year-old Danny Webb from Tunbridge Wells, England, was happy with his race performance: “To finish in 16th after starting in 23rd was a tough battle and I was fighting all the way. I got a good start and was making up places in the early laps, but no-one was having any dramas up ahead so it was difficult to get any further forwards.

“It was frustrating to lose out on 15th and a point, but I’m pretty sure we’ll have at least one in the next race.”

Eighteen year-old Marcel Schrötter from Pflugdorf, Germany, finished in 21st: “I tried my best today, and I know that myself and the team are improving step by step so I’m positive for the future.”

CEO of Engines Engineering, Alberto Strazzari gave his perspective on Mahindra Racing’s debut. “This was a fantastic weekend from an engineering perspective. The bikes have performed very well. The speed of the GP125 was good which means the power from our engine can take the fight to our competition. It was frustrating not to get a point today, but we are hoping for better in the next race.”

Mahindra Racing will next be in action at the Spanish GP at Jerez on April 1-3.

Mahindra Racing Makes Promising appearance In Qatar

Mahindra Racing - part of the US $11.1 billion Mahindra Group - made its race debut with a fight for a point under the floodlights of the Losail International Circuit for the opening round of the 125cc class of the MotoGP World Championship.

British rider Danny Webb made strong progress from 22nd on the grid to be fighting for 15th and the point which it brings for much of the race, just losing the place with just two laps left in the 18 lap race, meaning that Mahindra finished shy of a debut point by just 0.394 seconds.

Marcel Schrötter on the second Mahindra GP125 finished in 21st after also being involved in race long battles for position.

It was a solid first race weekend for the Indian-owned Engines Engineering designed and built Mahindra GP125. After promising practice sessions, all held at night at the 5.38km circuit, the riders were a mere 0.006seconds apart in qualifying, lining up in 22nd and 23rd on the 30 bike grid.

Team Principal Mufaddal Choonia was proud of the team’s debut: "This was an emotional day for us as for the first time the Mahindra GP125 has raced in a World Championship race. By fighting for a point on our debut we think the paddock has seen the promise of Mahindra Racing.

"We have been moved by how much support we have received outside of the paddock too, especially with our Facebook page - www.facebook.com/MahindraRacing - which gained over 5000 fans during the course of the race meeting.

"Both our riders and the team showed tremendous promise and potential for the season ahead and we hope to be battling our more experienced rivals for points in the very near future."

Leading Mahindra’s charge, 19-year-old Danny Webb from Tunbridge Wells, England, was happy with his race performance: "To finish in 16th after starting in 23rd was a tough battle and I was fighting all the way. I got a good start and was making up places in the early laps, but no-one was having any dramas up ahead so it was difficult to get any further forwards.

"It was frustrating to lose out on 15th and a point, but I’m pretty sure we’ll have at least one in the next race."

Eighteen year-old Marcel Schrötter from Pflugdorf, Germany, finished in 21st: "I tried my best today, and I know that myself and the team are improving step by step so I’m positive for the future."

CEO of Engines Engineering, Alberto Strazzari gave his perspective on Mahindra Racing’s debut. "This was a fantastic weekend from an engineering perspective. The bikes have performed very well. The speed of the GP125 was good which means the power from our engine can take the fight to our competition. It was frustrating not to get a point today, but we are hoping for better in the next race."

Mahindra Racing will next be in action at the Spanish GP at Jerez on April 1-3.

Qatar appears for Mahindra Racing

Mahindra Racing – part of the US $7.1 billion Mahindra Group – will make its race debut on March 17-20 at the 5.38km Losail International Circuit for round 1 of the 125cc MotoGP World Championship.
Mahindra is the first Indian motorcycle manufacturer to enter a team into the prestigious MotoGP World Championship with its GP125 racing motorcycle, entered in the 125cc class.

Produced by Mahindra’s Italy-based Engines Engineering division, the GP125 will be ridden by riders Danny Webb from Britain and Marcel Schrötter from Germany.
Qatar is likely to present a tough debut venue. Its desert location means sand is often blown on to the track, making finding a good bike set-up difficult on the constantly changing surface. It is also the season’s only night race, held under floodlights, giving added difficulties to the riders.Speaking about Mahindra’s participation in the MotoGP Championships, Mr. Anand Mahindra, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Mahindra Group, said, “It is a matter of great pride for us to represent India in the world’s most prestigious two-wheeled race series. Mahindra Motorcycles will compete with the best in class, and it will be an ideal opportunity for us to showcase our strengths in the engineering and IT domains. MotoGP is the ultimate test for the finest talents in motorcycle racing and an immensely popular championship with a cult following. Our participation will also help us leverage the power of global branding for the Mahindra Group.”

Team Principal Mufaddal Choonia heralds the team’s debut. “I am very proud to be part of the first Indian team in MotoGP racing. This is a big challenge for everyone involved and we are all working very hard to ensure we are competitive.
“Mahindra are a US $7.1 billion multinational group, and we build three things: products, services and possibilities. We are new to the two-wheeler market and our entry in MotoGP shows our ambition.“Ultimately, we are not in the sport to make up the numbers, we are here to win. That might sound ambitious, but that’s the way we are. I know that this is a big task, but we are all focused and we are in the battle for the long term” said Choonia.Leading Mahindra’s charge is 19-year-old Danny Webb from Tunbridge Wells, England, who starts his fifth season in the category.
“I think my experience and potential attracted the team to me, and the strength and back-up of the Mahindra Group combined with the expertise at Engines Engineering drew me to them. Qatar’s our first race together and we’re focused on improving steadily through the season.

“I like the Qatar track but racing at night is an unusual challenge. It’s a bit like being in a Playstation game, and you have to learn to ignore the shadows from the riders behind you as the floodlights makes it look like they are riding into you all the time. I’m confident we’ll do a good job.”Eighteen year-old Marcel Schrötter from Pflugdorf, Germany, is entering his second season in the category. “I’m looking forward to Qatar and it will be great to be racing again. I am still learning the GP125, and the bike is still being developed so it is difficult to know how well we will go in our first race but I will be pushing hard all the way.”

Watching over activities during the four days action in Qatar is team manager, Nicola Casadei. “It is fair to say that testing was not as straight-forward as we hoped as we were interrupted by a lot of rain, but we have a good understanding of the bike. We know our strengths and we know where we have to improve. Qatar will give us a good gauge of where we sit relative to our rivals.”

The Grand Prix of Qatar opens with practice sessions for the 125cc class on March 17-18, followed by qualifying on March 19 and the race on March 20.

Teen leads India moto team's desert charge

British teenager Danny Webb will spearhead India's historic world motorcycling championship bow in Qatar on Sunday, predicting it will be just like a computer game.

The $7.1 billion Mahindra Group will be the first Indian motorcycle manufacturer to enter the championship with 19-year-old Webb and Germany's Marcel Schrotter taking part in the 125cc class.

"I like the Qatar track but racing at night is an unusual challenge. It?s a bit like being in a Playstation game," said Webb.

"You have to learn to ignore the shadows from the riders behind you as the floodlights make it look like they are riding into you all the time. I?m confident we?ll do a good job."

The bikes are produced by Mahindra?s Italy-based Engines Engineering division.

"I am very proud to be part of the first Indian team in the championship. This is a big challenge for everyone involved and we are all working very hard to ensure we are competitive," said team principal Mufaddal Choonia.

"Ultimately, we are not in the sport to make up the numbers, we are here to win. I know that this is a big task, but we are all focused and we are in the battle for the long term."

India will have a powerful presence in world motorsport this year.

In the Formula One world championship which starts in Melbourne on March 27, the grid will feature the Force India team while Narain Karthikeyan will drive for Hispania.

Mahindra fixes Stallio's defects

The two-wheeler division of Mahindra & Mahindra has cranked up R&D surveillance of its parts and vendors to resolve the clutch and gear-shift problem that hit its first motorcycle Stallio within a month of its launch last October. The company, which halted production to fix hardness in the clutch and gearshift in some of its bikes, will relaunch the 100 cc Stallio with the necessary changes in June. The problem, says Anoop Mathur, president-two-wheeler sector, M&M, was "variability in some parts that led to this issue on a small percentage of bikes in the field". In other words, "some components of the bike did not perform according to "standard expectation". That inconsistency resulted in a couple of complaints.

"When we launched the Stallio we had great demand and we were ramping up production and supplies through October and November," says Mathur. "Mid December we received some feedback on hardness of clutch and related difficulty in gear shifting in some of the motorcycles. Although this was not a sizable number, we immediately went into analysis mode." The company decided to scale down production of the bike sometime in mid January and a month later says it has fixed the issue "from vendor to end product".

M&M's two-wheeler division kicked off with scooters which has done well for the company totting up total numbers of over 200,000 units since its entry into two-wheelers. When the Stallio's problem cropped up, the company roped in Engines Engineering, the Italian group company that was involved in the design of the Stallio to make sure there were no design defects or manufacturing faults. Its in-house R&D team led the effort and when both design and manufacturing emerged clean, they went "back right to the starting point of the production of that part tracing it to its final installation in the bike" to sort out the problem.

The company decided to settle the issue instead of waiting for the number of complaints to snowball because it's new in the motorcycle market and is more interested in building long-term brand credibility than short-term numbers. With its star debutant Mojo due this festive season, the brand needed to take "pre-emptive action" to establish its credentials. "We have taken necessary action which will take care of all future production," says Mathur. "We expect to be back in full production soon as we have also been facing some component shortages and are resolving this as we speak."

Analysts say the company's decision to halt production is a smart move. "The good thing about the Stallio is that M&M didn't sell too many vehicles before taking action so there weren't too many bikes on the road for the problem to be noticed on a large scale before it was rectified," says Mahantesh Sabarad, senior analyst with Mumbai-based Fortune Financial Services. He says glitches are not a big deal in the two-wheeler market where the established players fix bugs long after a product has sold considerable numbers in the market. "Two-wheeler buyers don't upgrade to a higher product within the same brand, they upgrade to a car," says Sabarad. "The 100 cc bike market is a commodity market. There's not much brand behaviour there."

Mahindra Racing posts up for MotoGP presentation

Mahindra Racing, set to make its debut at Qatar later this month at the Motorcycle World Championship, had its final pre-season test in the run up to the MotoGP season with riders Danny Webb and Marcel Schrötter at Jerez, Spain, last week-end.

Despite a predominantly wet first day at the test, held on the 4.4-km Jerez circuit, significant mileage was covered in the dry weather of the last two days (March 5 and 6), a release from Mahindra Racing said on Monday.

Faster of Mahindra's two riders over the three-day test was 19-year-old Briton Webb.

"We've definitely taken a step forwards. On Friday we didn't get much running because of the weather, and on Saturday we suffered from a few electrical gremlins, but I'm satisfied that there's more speed to come from the bike, and I've a fair idea where that speed can be found," Webb said.

Schrötter had an early fall on the first day which hindered his progress at the test.

"My fall was not too bad but I was not able to push as hard as I would otherwise. I tried to concentrate on developing the set-up of the bike and developing my confidence with it and everything is pointing in the right direction to continue improving," he said.

The team ran through a programme to evaluate new components and team manager Nicola Casadei was impressed with the results.

"Jerez is a good testing ground as it's a punishing circuit and our previous knowledge here gives good basis for evaluation. We tested a new carburettor on Danny's bike and initial impressions are good, so we will now analyse the data to see if we will have it on both bikes for Qatar," Casadei said.

"We could do with more time to test, but we will just keep improving through the season," he added.

The team's bikes will now be freighted direct from Jerez to Qatar where Mahindra will make their race debut at the Losail International Circuit in the first round of the 125cc World Championship.

Mahindra's Stallio defects going to be fixed by Italian firm

MUMBAI: Mahindra Two Wheelers has roped in Italian design services firm Engines Engineering to rectify the defects of its 100 cc bike, Stallio, as the Mahindra Group firm has been struggling to boost its sales ever since Stallio's launch in October 2010.

The bike, which sold only 46 units in February after the company curtailed production to repair faulty clutch and gear parts , will be modified and relaunched shortly.

Engines Engineering is working closely with in-house R&D experts to modify the bike which marked the Mahindra group's entry into the motorcycle market dominated by rivals Hero Honda and the Bajaj group.

"While it was a small aberration, we had to be mindful of the customer. We took a holistic view of the supply chain (vendors), technology managers, front-end and came up with a remedial solution. We had to minimise the variability by modifying certain components," said Anoop Mathur, president, Mahindra Two Wheelers. "Rather than flood the system, we decided to cut down on production of the bike. Engines Engineering and the internal R&D team helped rectify the issue."

The company plans to re-engage with the customer to boost market share. "We have done trial runs on the Stallio after rectification and are also working on different modes of communication," Mathur said.

Since its launch, M&M has sold 5,181 Stallios with sales in January falling to 509 bikes. Scooters account for more than 90% of the company's two-wheelers business.

With the overhaul exercise for Stallio underway, the company has postponed the launch of its 300 cc premium bike Mojo to the next festival season. Mojo was planned to be launched in the first quarter of this financial year. "We are making sure that all aspects of the bike are appropriately tested and will launch the bike towards the festive season," said Mathur.

Mahindra Two Wheelers faces competition from Honda and Suzuki, which control the scooter market. Honda is the market leader followed by TVS, Hero Honda and M&M.