Forward: If you’re already in a flock of sheep, then be the black one!

Martina Cuzari (33), daughter of Forward team owner Giovanni (59) and the operational mastermind behind the team, says that even as a child, her father would constantly remind her of this analogy from the animal kingdom. “What’s more,” said Martina, “my father made the name ‘Forward’ his trademark even before the days of Dorna and Liberty Media.”

The joy in the Forward pit in Qatar was indescribable when Alex Escrig returned from the Parc Ferme after the second qualifying session in Qatar. It was Forward’s first pole position. In the race, he led for 14 laps, but was then pushed back to third place by Daniel Holgado and Ivan Ortola over the remaining four laps.

Katar-GP: Forward-Ass Escrig führte das Moto2-Feld an

Foto: Waldemar Da Rin

This season, the approach taken by the Forward team with their in-house developed chassis in Moto2 seems to be bearing fruit. The official headquarters are in Agno in southern Switzerland, whilst the workshop is located in Casalmaggiore near Parma in Italy, not far from Robby Moto Engineering, the company that manufactured Forward’s chassis to their specifications.

Martina Cuzari: “Robby Moto Engineering also works with Starfighters Space and the Space Shuttle. We have their full support for our project. Although we are a small manufacturer, they recognise the passion that binds us to the sport.”

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Many big names have raced for Forward Racing

The greatest success in the team’s history was undoubtedly winning the 2014 MotoGP Open Class with Aleix Espargaró on a Yamaha-powered bike. Other renowned riders have also raced for Forward, including Colin Edwards alongside Stefan Bradl, who left the team during the 2015 season. In Moto2, GP stars such as Luca Marini, Lorenzo Baldassari, Simone Corsi, Stefano Manzi and Dominique Aegerter have represented Forward under the MV Agusta banner.

Alex Escrig has been with the team the longest and is also the most successful to date. In 2023, he was injured during the IRTA tests in Jerez and had to sit out almost the entire season. In 2027, he will ride for the Italtrans team. Forward will then be on the grid with Toni Arbolino and Adrian Huertas.

Martina Cuzari, who joined her father’s company in 2015 when the team was in difficulty, looks back: “It wasn’t an easy time, as everything was new to me, but fortunately a few mechanics had stayed on to train me. The IRTA team association also supported me. Especially Irene, the wife of the late IRTA President Mike Trimby. I owe her a great deal. I was only 21 and she was like a mother to me. At first, Mike had actually intimidated me with his height and imposing build (laughs), but he too gave me a lot of support whenever I had problems or needed help.”

When did you start work on the new project – that is, the current chassis?
Martina Cuzari: “It was on 13 January 2023 that the first drawings by engineer Luca Sandrucci, who joined us from Aprilia, landed on the table. Luca worked in the racing department in Noale. He started out with us as an electronics engineer, but eventually he wanted to become part of our project so he could work at the track as well. He’s also Alex’s chief engineer.”

Eingespielt: Alex Escrig mit Forward-Techniker Luca Sandrucci

Foto: Waldemar Da Rin

The Italian continued: “The first frame was a hybrid – a mix of steel and aluminium – but by the end of 2023, the entire chassis was made of aluminium. 2024 was a difficult year for us because the switch from Dunlop to Pirelli tyres simply left us in the lurch. Our chassis didn’t work with the Pirelli tyres at first. We couldn’t make it work on the track; the tyres gave us no feedback. It was complicated for the riders, as well as for the team.”

What did you do to ensure it eventually worked with the Pirelli tyres as well?Cuzari: “I didn’t rejoin the team until midway through the season that year, as I’d become a mother. We all sat down together and asked ourselves where we stood, what our baseline was, and why it wasn’t working – what the cause might be. Then we took small steps in different directions and immediately realised whether we were heading in the right direction or not. Alex, who’s been with us right from the start, is a massive talent; he’s played a huge part in getting us to where we are now.”

The team boss continues to sing the young Spaniard’s praises: “He’s also very intelligent, has naturally matured, and is practically one with the motorbike, which is why he can set a fast time right from the very first laps. Even in practice, after just a few laps, he can tell us how the bike is responding and what needs to be changed. We therefore find it a great shame that he’s leaving us at the end of the season. But we’ll continue to hold him in high regard and remain friends.”