MotoGP: the WithU Yamaha RNF team presents itself on January 24 but Razlan Razali already says everything

The satellite team will still have the Malaysian Razlan Razali as boss, but, compared to the two previous years, the colors and standing will be very different. The Petronas windfall which seemed inexhaustible is in fact followed by a WithU source which will have to be fed sparingly. However, Yamaha remains behind and with Dovizioso as a veteran and Darryn Binder as a beginner, this team which thought its last hour had come with the withdrawal without notice of its long-time investor has every intention of getting off to a good start...

A new ambition which will be shown on January 24 in Italy. Because the boss Razlan Razali make no secret of it: it is indeed a new beginning: “ the difference between now and before is that we had a great sponsor » he said clearly. “ The first year is always the hardest. We must therefore ensure that we get through it well, in complete financial security, giving confidence not only to the sponsors but also to the members of the team. At the same time, we will use this year to build the future for the next 3 to 5 years. It’s about rebuilding and renaming. Everything starts from scratch, but we also have the experience of the last three years ».

« We are lucky to have WithU. If we didn't have WithU, we would have big problems, but WithU was the first to join us right after Petronas. And then, little by little, the current sponsors continued with Barracuda, Green Power, and then we announced WRS, the windshield company, and then, little by little, we announced all the others » says the Malaysian on crash.net. " This week we hope to announce two more, before the team reveal next week. We are close to achieving this. With each announcement the pressure releases me a little ».

Razlan Razali: “les critiques au sujet de Darryn Binder ? On s’en fout"

Speaking of pressure, Razali returns to the one he suffered with the rise from Moito3 of Darryn binder : " it's easy for people to criticize our decision. We don't care, because at the same time that's how we are a development team. Because if things go well, it can go very well for us, but if things go bad, we get worse. But we are the underdogs and we can afford these kinds of risks ».

On what awaits him this year internally, he says, first referring to the recent past: “ the experience of 2021 has humbled us. Now we will be more careful, we will not take anything for granted. We started strong in our first two years in MotoGP and then we fell apart but we learned a lot. But it's sport, it happens, a little is won, a little is lost ».

« We want to maintain the level of service to all our sponsors. And of course, having the right package with Yamaha is also important. So more or less, depending on the specification of the bike, it’s between 11 and 13 million euros per year ». Razali adds: " I think the launch means several things. The first is the team brand refresh. The confidence that we hope to give back to the supporters and the championship. Then, Our philosophy of a young pilot combined with an experienced pilot. And of course for our title partner WithU, for Matteo Ballarin, its president, doing the launch in his hometown means something emotional and personal for him. He deserves it ».

« He's been supporting us since 2019, so we want him to have that sense of belonging by celebrating the launch in his hometown of Verona. It will be a magnificent setting for the launch. Everyone knows the colors of our title sponsor, so for now I'll leave it to your imagination for the tone of the fairings ". See you next week for the rendering…