In 2019, in MotoGP, new chapters in many stories will open. For example, Iannone will discover Aprilia, Lorenzo is going to go meet Honda and challenge Marquez and fabio quartararo will be among the elite on a Yamaha Petronas satellite. This last fact brings us to the Tech3 team which will have closed a twenty-year epic with the tuning fork brand to embark on an unprecedented partnership with KTM. On Tutomotoriweb, the French boss recalls the ins and outs of this agreement with the Austrian manufacturer.
A common story of twenty years which is coming to an end, this is not trivial even for a MotoGP. However, this is what will happen between Tech3 and Yamaha. Two names that will continue their path independently of each other. And even in competition, since the M1 satellite will be in a rival team and Tech3 will ride with motorcycles from a competing manufacturer.
On what led the French team to take such a tack, its boss Hervé Poncharal remember : " KTM made us an offer over three years. And it's great to be part of this project. Even though we were happy for twenty years with Yamaha, this opportunity was better for my team in terms of longevity and technical support. So we decided to change. Although we don't know if this change will bring us the same results ».
On his status at KTM, he specifies: “ we will not be a factory team, a position that belongs to KTM. We will be independent. But we can say that there will be four KTMs next year on the starting grid with the same evolution and identical specifications. Which never happened with Yamaha. However, all people who work at Tech3 will be Tec employees.h3 ».
Having a bike identical to the factory one was a real concern for Tech3 who, despite its performance and skills, was never able to enjoy such a privilege with Yamaha. And it's not certain that Petronas will have a more enviable fate, unless it presents a substantial budget... On the end of the Japanese adventure, Hervé Poncharal states: “ we have been working with Yamaha for twenty years and there is mutual mutual trust. Last year we took pole positions and podiums. So they know they can count on us ».
« They can use our data to help their pilots. I am sure they will support us until the last Grand Prix of this season. There will be no problems, Yamaha is an honest and loyal company. They will treat us as they always have until Sunday evening of the Valencia Grand Prix. What happens next will be another story. They also know that they can trust us ».
In 2019, the Tech3 team drivers will be Miguel Oliveira who is currently playing for the Moto2 title on the KTM and the current Hafiz Syahrin who is in the race to finish best rookie of the season in MotoGP.
