Hervé Poncharal has changed his tunic, color, and names for this 2023 MotoGP season but in his box they will still be RC16s from the Mattighofen workshops. There will therefore be no concession points in the regulations for GASGAS whose coat of arms appears for the first time at this level of the competition. But for all that, the boss of the Tech3 team assures that all this is not an illusion. Internally, and in the mind, this red instead of orange turns certain indicators green.
It's a new season in every sense of the word that will begin for Tech3 et Hervé Poncharal. The setting will be different, as will the two pilots since neither Raul fernandez not more than Remy gardner who were in the 2022 workforce will not be there. In place, Pol Espargaro returns to his roots and the reigning Moto2 world champion Augusto Fernandez is going to take the plunge. And then there is this name GASGAS which evokes something to the boss: “ I have been in MotoGP for a while and have experienced many seasons and each new one is always a very exciting moment » we read from the French on motorcyclesports.
He adds : " doing it with GASGAS means a lot to me, because I have followed this brand since its beginnings in Trial. I love the name and I'm excited. We always think that experience and youth go hand in hand. I'm sure Pol is happy to be back and Augusto's presence among us is something very exciting, because it's always perfect to receive the rookie rider as a Moto2 world champion. I am very happy, very proud and we look forward to creating a positive atmosphere. Red atmosphere! ».
Hervé Poncharal: “we are no longer the KTM B-Team”
Otherwise, Hervé Poncharal specifies that, from now on, everything will not be as usual: “ we are no longer the KTM B-Team. So far this has been interpreted this way by people in the paddock, by the media and by some sponsors. The Pierer group assured us very clearly that we would have the same technical support from Munderfing as the Red Bull team with Brad Binder and Jack Miller ».
« At Pierer we now have two brands in the MotoGP world championship – the KTM Factory Racing Team and on the other hand the GASGAS Factory Racing Team Tech3 » points out the Frenchman. “ So we are like a factory team like last year, but now we are the only representatives of GASGAS in MotoGP ". And he concludes: “ although we are seen as a customer team at Dorna, within the Pierer Group we are seen as a true factory team. We will operate at approximately the same level as the Red Bull KTM factory team ". A device which, however, did not convince Miguel Oliveira, to whom it had first been proposed from his official position KTM, and who preferred to try the private adventure at RNF Aprilia.
