The Mondial project

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The Mondial project

The Mondial project
Pretty weird

A super sports car with unusual technology for around 57,000 marks: the Mondial brand is starting its second life. With the Piega ?? in German inclined position, driven by the V2 of the Honda VTR 1000 SP-1.

Eva Breutel

02/26/2001

Roberto Ziletti has a good laugh: »Honda feels the brand Mondial just connected. ”And that’s why Mon came-
dial as the only motorcycle manufacturer in
the pleasure of Honda engines. History explains that. In 1956 Soichiro Honda asked then Mondial owner Graf Boselli for one of his super-fast 125cc GP motorcycles. Mondial was one of the top teams in the GP circus in the 1950s and had already won six of a total of ten world championship titles. The Japanese, on the other hand, were still in the apprenticeship phase. Boselli gave Honda a generous gift of one of his racers, down to the smallest detail
has been analyzed. The 125cc is today in the Honda Museum in Motegi, with a thank you to Mondial.
In March, Honda delivered the first SP-1 engines to the newly acquired Mondial company and even gave the blessing for modifications to the injection system. Mondial’s own Alpha system uses a sensor to measure the lean angle of the motorcycle and changes the engine’s ignition map accordingly. The power output in extreme inclines should be more gentle. “This allows the driver to open the gas earlier,” explains Mondial engineer Nicola Bragagnolo. “And that brings valuable time in the race.” Finally, the Mondial came first
Line developed for the racetrack. The Mondial boss is drawn there himself, so far with a GP Honda TSR 250. The starting shot for Piega in the Superbike World Championship will be given this year.
Delivery of the series version of the Piega kick off. It has been open since the performance
the Munich trade fair Intermot has narrowed its shape a little and now presents itself in a carbon dress, which is painted in silver with blue stripes. Apart from the engine, Mondial developed everything itself, always with a keen eye for suitability for the racetrack. For example the upside-down fork with 45 mm sliding tubes and quick-release fasteners for fixed wheel changes without having to remove the powerful, also in-house developed brake with 310 mm discs and Ergal pliers. Or the shock absorber with separate adjustment options for rebound and compression damping in the high and low-speed range. Even the wheels, which are currently still from Marchesini, are to be given their own design.
Scattered all over northern Italy, 15 people work on the Piega, which was developed in just over a year. Ex-Aprilia engineer Bragagnolo works in Padua, the steel tubular space frame was constructed in Parma, the supersport motorcycle will soon be assembled in Monza. And where is the company headquarters? “Here in Manerbio,” says manager Fabio Brioschi, 37. Because Mondial owner Ziletti’s Lastra company is in Manerbio, the plates
for offset printing. Founded by her father, Lastra has annual sales of around 350 million marks, has 600 employees and three plants in Italy and one in India. Ziletti has invested around 18 million in the motorcycle project so far. Sales, management and marketing of Mondial are located in the Lastra administration, in a small workshop in the factory building, designer Sandro Mor refines the look of the Piega. Soon he will be able to move into a large hall nearby
the development and design are combined and the superbike racing team is housed.
The business people are aiming for a turnover of 15 million marks in the first year. “We have enough projects for the future, in autumn in Milan we will present the naked version of the Piega,” explains Brioschi. Another model is to follow in 2002, whether tourer or enduro, neither Brioschi nor Ziletti want to reveal. The fact that their project in the motorcycle industry is currently being dismissed as a gimmick does not concern the two. “That’s an incentive for me,” says Ziletti. And his business-
Fuhrer adds: “Of course there is a lot
Competitor. But where do you get a motorcycle that looks like that
it is suitable for the racetrack? At the Piega you simply put on other tires, and off you go. ??

Report and interview

Mondial President Roberto Ziletti is financial-
strong and willing to revive the old brand.

How do you go from being an entrepreneur in the printing industry to being a motorcycle manufacturer? I knew the engineer Nicola Bragagnolo, who had a lot of good ideas for a motorcycle project. I’ve always been a motorcycle enthusiast, and then, through contact with the Boselli family, the opportunity arose to buy the Mondial brand name. Which customers do you want for Piega? Motorcyclists who like the same thing as I do: the racetrack. That’s why we developed the Piega, down to the smallest detail. How do you get the motorcycle to the customer? In Italy this is done through a bank, that creates trust with customers, nobody knows us yet. Abroad, we go over the Internet. We will have dealers specializing in athletes all over Europe. How many bikes do you want to build? From the Piega no more than 250 per year, even if the demand should be greater. Why didn’t you buy parts such as brakes, forks or shock absorbers from a good supplier but developed them yourself? The Conte Boselli would turn in his grave if he knew that we don’t have an engine of our own. At least all other components have to come from Mondial itself. Why do you want to go straight to the Superbike World Championship? That is simply part of a super sporty motorcycle. This year we are participating in the last three races. We already have two well-known test riders, namely the Croatian superbiker Radman and the Italian ex-crosser Walter Barto-lini. We’re also in contact with a famous pilot, but it’s too early to talk about it.

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