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GasGas will enter the MotoGP starting next season. It was announced today at the Red Bull Ring. The Spanish brand, which is part of the Pierer Mobility group, will rely on the Tech3 team, the KTM satellite team that Herve Poncharal manages.
The bikes will be rebranded “KTM RC16”. (“Exactly identical to that of the official team”, Pit Beirer, head of motorsport for the group, stated.)
Hubert Trunkepolz, a member of the GasGas board, did the honors: “Joining the MotoGP is a logical step for us, both from a commercial and a sports point of view. This year, we’ve seen 25,000 motorcycles and soon, next year, we’ll present new road models. After the successes in the Moto2 and Moto3 with the Aspar team, we had to take this step. My idea was making Tech3 an official team to all intents and purposes.”
GasGas will be registered for the Championship as a manufacturer, and Hervé Poncharal said: “Proud and honored to participate in this challenge.” The French manager also revealed the name of the first GasGas rider: “Pol Espargarò made his MotoGP debut with Tech3, and I’ve always said that he’s a real fighter. I'm glad he's going back to the family and will be a perfect ambassador for the brand.”
What about his teammate? Pit Beirer scrambled the cards. Recently, the choice seemed to be between Remy Gardner or Augusto Fernandez (in case he wins the Moto2 championship), but the manager pulled another name out of his hat: “There’s still a chance that our friend, Miguel Oliveira, will stay with us. It’s not easy, but now that we've presented the project a little more, we’ll definitely make him an offer.”
It’s difficult to say how concrete this possibility is, because the Portuguese rider should be racing with Aprilia on Razali’s RNF team. The announcement regarding the team’s programs is expected for Misano.
