MV Agusta Freestyle Division’s Extreme Riding
French stunt champion Thibaut Nogues thrills European crowds and engages new generation of MV Agusta customers worldwide through live shows and social media.
What can be more thrilling and exciting than riding an MV Agusta? Stunt-riding an MV Agusta. With a series of heart-stopping live shows in motorcycle exhibitions and fairs around Europe, Thibaut Nogues, the French stunt rider from the Côte d’Azur, is transforming a legendary, established brand into a true Love Brand for the new generations of riding enthusiasts. Thibaut, the eclectic frontman of the recently created MV Agusta Freestyle Division, is also very active on social media, with hair-raising, adrenaline-packed videos.
With an impressive reach in over 55 countries worldwide, hundreds of thousands of views for each new video within days and 1.5 million web contacts on a monthly basis, Thibaut Nogues and MV Agusta’s Freestyle Division team elevated the brand to the status of web influencer, appealing to a new audience of millennials and Z generation riders. In 2019, the team participated in over 20 events, ranging from MotoGP and Superbike rounds, to the opening of new showrooms, to Stunt & Drift competitions, to fairs and exhibitions.
from left Emanuele Grassi, Thibaut Nogues and Lorenzo Gandino
With Thibaut in the role of star performer, MV Agusta’s Freestyle Division is led by Virginio Ferrari, a former rider with extensive experience in managing racing teams, seconded by Lorenzo Gandino, Emanuele Grassi and Marco Anfesi, all highly specialised engineers and mechanics with an impressive track record in the racing industry.
For his shows, Thibaut Nogues rides the specially developed Freestyle Division Edition Brutale 800 RR and F3 800 sporting an elegant black, grey and red livery. The bikes’ special components include a steel protective crash cage, nylon crash inserts, a unique “non-slip” stand up wheelie seat, a RAW SC-Project titanium exhaust, machined wheels, a reinforced rear swing arm developed and constructed in CRC, a hand crafted oversize aluminium radiator, different final ratio and chain guards. Additional components include a dedicated ECU map, full Öhlins suspension as well as an STM clutch for drifting performance. The final touches include front fork triple-clamps with a different offset, a rear brake lever on the handlebar, additional rear brake calipers and a special rear brake pedal. Completing the modifications are the CNC machined passenger pegs
Thibaut Nogues commented: “I’ve been a Freestyle rider for 10 years, and I worked hard at developing and expressing an individual, classy riding style. I think it made a difference. Being a Freestyle rider for MV Agusta gives me the opportunity to fully realise this aspiration. It’s like a dream. For me, MV bikes are the most beautiful bikes in world. An MV bike is like no other bike, you need to feel it, it’s like a dance partner. I’m so proud to ride MV Agusta bikes and super excited about the future with the Freestyle Division.”
Timur Sardarov, CEO of MV Agusta Motor S.p.A., commented “I’d like to congratulate Thibaut for being such an incredibly talented and spectacular stunt rider. His shows and his great communication skills have contributed to raising the awareness of our brand among younger riders worldwide, but this is also a fantastic team effort: I am impressed by the Division’s performance and I am thrilled by its success in winning over a new generation of customers. This goes exactly in the direction of MV Agusta’s new strategy, which also aims at engaging new customers and reaching out to younger audiences. I look forward to discovering the new shows and the new hair-raising stunts Thibaut and the team have in store for us. ”
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