Almost, we would have witnessed the signing live. Shortly after seeing Jonas Folger join Hervé Poncharal's office, the official announcement was made on MotoGP.com : the young German hopeful will be on a Yamaha M1 in 2017 with an option for 2018. This is a place of choice taken and perhaps a direction shown to Alex Rins towards the HRC. To be continued !
Jonas Folger : " I'm thrilled with this news and I still can't believe it. I have been racing in the World Championship for several years and joining the premier category is a dream that is coming true. I would like to thank all the sponsors who have supported me throughout these years. It is an honor to experience this stage with Yamaha, Hervé Poncharal and the Tech3 team, who have a long history in the paddock. I will do my best to thank them for their trust and I am really looking forward to starting this new adventure. I remain focused on the rest of my season in the intermediate category but I am already looking forward to arriving in Valencia, where I will try the Yamaha YZR-M1 for the first time. »
Hervé Poncharal : “ It is always an important and difficult decision to make when we have to choose a young rider to make their debut in MotoGP. We thought about it a lot, looking at who would be the best fit to replace Brad (Smith), who has done a great job with Tech3 over the last four years and is now ready to join a factory team. After studying all the possibilities, Jonas Folger emerged as the best choice. He's a very fast rider, a good personality, he's going to have a good season in Moto2 this year and the dream would be for him to win the title. I am really very happy to announce that Jonas will join us just before our national GP, at Le Mans. It's hard to predict how it will go, some riders adapt faster than others, but I'm sure he will be fast, have fun and be a good rider for Monster Yamaha Tech3. I welcome him. The team and Yamaha Factory Racing are delighted to work with him and we will do everything possible to help him reach the heights of the premier class.. "
Statements to MotoGP.com
