Kalex has not only made a name for itself in recent years with dominant victories in the Moto2 World Championship.
The expertise of the company from Bobingen in Bavaria was recently also used by manufacturers in MotoGP and in the Superbike World Championship. In addition to a swing arm, Honda also had a frame built by Kalex. BMW commissioned a swingarm for the WSBK bike.
Even if Kalex dominates the Moto2 World Championship and supports some well-known manufacturers with its developments, the German company around Alex Baumgärtel does not get the necessary recognition, says ex-Moto2 world champion Remy Gardner.
Gardner worked directly with Kalex for many years during his Grand Prix career and won the 2021 championship riding a Kalex. “They are really impressive,” enthuses the Australian in an exclusive interview with “Motorsport-Total.com”.
Moto2 champion raves about Kalex
“I had a strong connection with Kalex. A friendship developed. The work they do is really amazing. You give them feedback and suggest a way, they deal with it immediately and bring a new part next time. Then you have exactly what you wanted,” reports Gardner.
“It’s absolutely impressive what they have created,” said the 2021 Moto2 champion, who has now switched paddocks and competes in the Superbike World Championship with Yamaha. But Kalex also supplies some manufacturers with expertise in the near-series championship.
“They’re represented here with the BMW swingarm. Honda also uses their swingarm in MotoGP. If anyone knows what to do with the chassis and the swingarm, it’s Kalex. They’re really clever and I have a lot of respect,” so Gardner.
A few years ago there were considerations for a MotoGP entry with its own chassis. But nothing came of it. “And now they’re getting into MotoGP with Honda (laughs; editor’s note)”, jokes Gardner and states: “In the end they made it.”
The Moto2 World Championship has become the Kalex Cup over the years
Kalex clearly sets the tone in the Moto2 World Championship. In the top 20 of the drivers’ standings, 18 drivers currently rely on Kalex, including championship leader Tony Arbolino. At the beginning of the Moto2 era there were still many different manufacturers, but over the years the championship has developed into a Kalex Cup with just a few other manufacturers.
“There are two points of view. On the one hand, it’s always great when there’s technical competition between several manufacturers. But for the riders, it’s great when everyone is on the same bike, with the same engine and the same tyres,” comments Gardner .
“It’s really good for a driver, because then you have to work on yourself. In the end, the best driver wins. For me as a driver, that’s perfect. But from the fan’s point of view, it’s obviously great when there are more different manufacturers and a technical competition”, Gardner shows understanding for the critics who are not satisfied with the current situation.
The fact that the Moto2 World Championship has developed in this way makes work easier for the MotoGP team managers, because different bikes no longer have to be taken into account as much when looking for new riders. “It makes it easier for manufacturers in MotoGP to sign the right riders because the best rider wins,” said Gardner.