It is with pleasure that the EG 0,0 Marc VDS team announces that in 2018 it will welcome the former 125cc World Champion and current candidate for the Moto2 title Tom Luthi. He will join his opponent Franco Morbidelli, to pilot a Honda RC213V.
Born in Linden, near Emmental, Tom Luthi started racing pocket bikes at the age of seven. He won two Championships there before switching to a 125 two-stroke.
The Swiss rider then made his arrival on the international scene in 2002, as part of the 125cc German Grand Prix, before being entered full-time the following year. The Swiss won his first victory there in 2005, on the Le Mans circuit. With three other successes on the clock, Lüthi then won the title of 125cc World Champion by five points ahead Mika Kallio.
Tom Luthi joined Moto2 in 2010, after three years in 250cc. He has only appeared beyond the Top 5 once in seven seasons. In 2016, the Bernese recorded four victories and finished second in the World Championship behind Johann zarco.
With nine podiums since the launch of the 2017 campaign, including a victory in Brno, Tom Luthi currently in second place in the general classification, 26 points behind Franco Morbidely.
Lüthi also has a little experience of MotoGP since he was invited last year by KTM to test the RC16 which was then preparing for its Grand Prix debut.
Marc van der Straten: President, Marc VDS Racing Team
« We had several options to find the rider we were looking for to complete our 2018 MotoGP™ team. Tom Lüthi was a unanimous choice despite having never raced in this category. He was World Champion in 125 and his consistency during his seven seasons in Moto2™ is still simply incredible, since his worst result was a sixth place in 2013. Otherwise, he always finished in the top five. He is always in the game in Moto2™, and this year again he is the one who is giving the most trouble in our quest for the world champion title. Tom is a valuable recruit for our team and I am proud to welcome him to the Marc VDS Racing family. »
