From the circuit to your hands: how competition technology reaches your engine

Competition is the best test bench for lubricants. For more than 50 years, Repsol has been experiencing top-level competition from within: laboratories, tracks, titles, and the highest standards. That journey has taught us to transform formulas into trust and real performance.

In 2026, we returned to the Motorcycling World Championship as an exclusive supplier of lubricants for Moto2 and Moto3, a step that reinforces the transfer of knowledge from the track to the street. In this way, each advance tested at the limit reaches, fine-tuned, your vehicle for everyday use.

From the lab to the track… and back to the lab

The development of a competition oil is an iterative and rigorous process that combines advanced simulation, testing in a controlled environment, and validation in real conditions:

• Computer simulation. Modeling, increasingly supported by AI, improves the prediction of results, reduces the number of formulas needed, and accelerates the development cycle.
• Formulation at scale. Laboratory batches are prepared to verify the stability of the mixture and its initial behavior.
• Laboratory tests to test critical properties, such as kinematic viscosity, HTHS (High Temperature High Shear), friction reduction, or friction protection capacity.
• Engine tests (screener), in which specific functions are evaluated, such as reduction of mechanical losses, piston cooling, wear of bearings, optical microscopy analysis, durability, shear strength, or maintenance of the lubricant film.
• Tests in real competition engine. When available in the TechLab, each hour of testing is optimized because of its high value and cost, refining the formulation with real performance data.
• Circuit test. If everything works as intended, the lubricant is validated on track or sent to engine manufacturers for final approval. Without going any further, the lubricants that will be used in Moto2 and Moto3 from 2026 have been validated by manufacturers to give the ultimate seal of trust.

This sequence ensures that the chemistry not only complies in theory, but responds in the most demanding environment before transforming into learning for the commercial range.

From the track to your vehicle

The transfer of advances in competition to commercial products is not literal - a racing oil is not put together as it is in your car or motorcycle - but it is direct in knowledge. Thus, we draw lessons that make the products that reach you better:

• More effective friction modifiers: fewer mechanical losses translate into smoother running engines and, in real scenarios, optimized efficiency.
• Base architectures and polymers with better thermal stability: the viscosity remains more constant with oil in the cold and heat, favoring clean starts and stable protection.
• More robust anti-wear protection: what has been learned in the behavior of bearings and critical elements translates into less wear and longer engine life.
• Shear and lubricant film control: oil integrity is sustained over more miles, with consistent responses across different driving styles and weather conditions.

The result is not only technical, but an experience that provides greater driving comfort.

2026: reinforcing the transfer of knowledge

Being an exclusive supplier of lubricants for Moto2 and Moto3 reinforces our position at the heart of development in top-level competition. This direct relationship with specific manufacturers, equipment, and engines shortens learning cycles and reinforces technical validation, because what is tested under pressure, works with peace of mind.

After decades of on-track experience, we've learned that excellence is felt: trust in starts, safety along the way, freedom to explore, and pride in using the best. From the laboratory, to the track. From the track, to your vehicle.