Our Story

PMF is a racing team and research project within the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Politecnico di Milano. Founded in 2015 by a small group of Mechanical Engineering students driven by a passion for motorcycling, the team’s goal was to compete in MotoStudent, a prestigious international competition involving universities from across the globe.

The team is composed of students from a wide range of departments. Our members come from “traditional” fields such as Mechanical, Energy, and Aerospace Engineering, as well as Management, Electrical, and Civil Engineering, extending even to the Schools of Design and Architecture. The only non-student member is the Team Tutor—a supervisor and moderator required by the regulations—a role held by Professor Alan Facchinetti.

The students’ primary objective is to apply and validate their academic knowledge in a real-world racing scenario. Upon registration, each team receives only the engine, a set of slick tires, and the braking system (calipers and pumps) from the MotoStudent organization. Every other part of the motorcycle must be designed, developed, and manufactured by the students in compliance with official technical rules. This includes the frame, suspension, exhaust, fairings, and electronics. The resulting prototype is then evaluated by an official jury through static and dynamic tests, culminating in a final race against other universities at the MotorLand Aragón FIM Circuit.

As of 2025, the Polimi Motorcycle Factory has shifted its focus away from the university “Petrol” category to embrace a new challenge: debuting in the Italian Speed Championship (CIV) Moto3.

The responsibilities faced by the team members are identical to those of a professional racing department. Beyond engineering, students must handle materials and workshop management, event logistics, relations with suppliers and sponsors, and social media branding. Since its first entry in MotoStudent IV (2015-2016), the results have been highly encouraging. The team quickly built its first prototype, completing all static and dynamic tests and finishing 10th in MS1 and 24th in MS2.

By 2018, the team had grown to over 40 members. Through extraordinary effort and sacrifice, they developed a second prototype, Scighera, which outperformed over 40 other universities to claim the World Championship title in the Petrol category.

In 2021, PMF returned for the VI edition with Sciura (Petrol) and, for the first time, entered the Electric category with the prototype Nyx, winning first place for Best Industrial Project. In 2022, at the Enzo e Dino Ferrari International Circuit in Imola, the team participated in the second edition of Moto Engineering Italy with Nyx, securing a victory in Race 1.

The year 2023 marked another milestone: PMF entered the VII edition of MotoStudent with two revolutionary prototypes, S.T.U.K.A. and Tatanka. Both bikes received multiple awards, and in only its second year in the Electric category, the team became World Vice-Champions with Tatanka.

In September 2025, the PMF project made its professional debut with Tosa in the CIV Moto3 championship at the Imola circuit. Shortly after, in October 2025, the team returned to Aragon with the electric bike Bambara, dominating in Top Speed and Acceleration and winning both Best Electric Industrial Project (MS1) and the Excellence Showcase.

Following the success in Aragon, the team immediately began designing new prototypes, aiming to further sharpen their skills in industrial and academic R&D. New challenges await the students of Polimi Motorcycle Factory as they look toward CIV 2026 and MotoStudent 2027.