New MV Agusta F3 RR sheds weight, increases stiffness and adds aero to go in search of lap records

MV Agusta have unveiled a new F3 RR that’s been engineered to set blistering lap times just as WSS have announced that 800cc triples will be allowed to compete alongside the 600 fours – what an incredible coincidence.

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The biggest changes to the old F3s are to the bodywork, which have been heavily reworked to be more slippery in some areas, while also adding downforce in others. The attention grabbers are the giant sets of wings attached to either side of the bike.

The ‘appendages’ as MV refer to them are capable of putting 8kg of weight onto the front wheel at 150mph. Meanwhile a taller screen and new fairing sides are designed to push air away from the rider, while a new front mudguard is designed to shove air through the radiator to keep the motor cool when it’s being thrashed on track.

Speaking of the motor, despite now being Euro5 compliant performance hasn’t dulled so there’s still 145 wild Italian stallions on tap. That’s because MV have worked hard to reduce friction inside the motor to make it more efficient for the same capacity.

Paired with this is a fancy new electronics set up from Italian company e-Novia, which incudes all the usual performance aids you’d expect including cornerning ABS, lean sensitive traction control, slide control, wheelie control and launch control.

If you do desire to just use it as more of a road machine, you can pair your phone with the dash for proper turn by turn sat nav directions – hell there’s even cruise control if your idea of touring is very different to ours.

The chassis too has had an update including redesigned frame plates for extra stiffness around the swingarm area. There’s also a new design of rear wheel, which drops 7% of the weight at the rim alone for a big reduction in inertia. They’ve even changed the surface of the footpegs and saddle to increase the rider’s grip on the machine.

Naturally it being a race bike there’s a race kit, which includes among other things a race ECU and a very tasty Akrapovic pipe. Together they increase peak power to 151bhp, while lightening your wallet considerably.