It's now official - Tech3 Join with KTM for 2019!

We didn't have to wait for too long

Press release from KTM below;

KTM AND TECH3 JOIN FORCES IN MOTOGP 2019

After reentering the MotoGP World Championship with the start of the four-stroke era in Moto3 2012, KTM evolved to the most successful manufacturer in this category. With only one year of development, 2017 the big step into MotoGP was finally made, at the same time the gap between the two classes was closed by joining also the Moto2 championship. With victories in Moto2 and seven top ten finishes in MotoGP, already in the rookie season last year, KTM Motorsports wants to further improve in all categories in the upcoming season and is further looking forward to join force with TECH3 in MotoGP having four KTM RC16 on the grid 2019.

Pit Beirer (KTM Motorsport Director): "We are very happy to join force with TECH3 in MotoGP from 2019 onwards. The team has many years of experience and achieved a lot of great results in the championship. Their professional structure makes us stronger. Four KTM RC16 on the grid means another big step for us, both for the development of our MotoGP bike and expanding KTM's structure in the paddock from the Red Bull Rookies Cup up to the MotoGP. We are looking forward starting a great cooperation and I'm thankful towards Hervé Poncharal for the future trust in KTM."

The full focus of the Red Bull KTM MotoGP Factory Racing Team is now on the final three-day MotoGP IRTA Test next week on the Losail International Circuit in Qatar, where the new season will also start with round one of nineteen middle of March. In the week before the season kicks off, the riders, bikes and team will come together for the official Team Launch on March 12 at Hangar-7 in Salzburg/Austria.

Excellent.
The only question now is whether Zarco remains in Tech 3 or move to the KTM factory team.

I think it will be the latter, with Olivera and maybe Binder to Tech 3.

Where are you getting this from? It is on NONE of the motorsport websites, nor on MotoGP.com or Motomatters.

While I don't deny they have signed with Tech3, I'll hold off commenting until it's sourced.

#22 said:

Where are you getting this from? It is on NONE of the motorsport websites, nor on MotoGP.com or Motomatters.

While I don't deny they have signed with Tech3, I'll hold off commenting until it's sourced.

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It was on Motomatters this morning but is now, quite curiously, no longer there...

Here is the google cache link;

https://webcache.googleusercontent...._ktm_from_2019.html+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk

How odd, Thanks for the link.

I think this is a great move for KTM

Its confirmed today https://press.ktm.com/News_Detail.aspx?id=62661&menueid=7311&l=international

This is good news. Especially seeing the latest rumors about Suzuki planning to establish their satellite team in VDS. It's all health for the sport.

Hopefully in the long term it will help leading to a situation where there is an almost-total balance between the different teams, each having a factory and a satellite team (or even more than one, in some cases) which will lead to more visibility for the sport, more investments from the sponsor and a more "uncertain" racing.

Let a boy dream

Holypuck said:

This is good news. Especially seeing the latest rumors about Suzuki planning to establish their satellite team in VDS. It's all health for the sport.

Hopefully in the long term it will help leading to a situation where there is an almost-total balance between the different teams, each having a factory and a satellite team (or even more than one, in some cases) which will lead to more visibility for the sport, more investments from the sponsor and a more "uncertain" racing.

Let a boy dream

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But its lousy for Yamaha, they will only have 2 bikes until Rossi starts his team, maybe they might even vanish from motogp like Suzuki did in 2011.

I'd like to know the story behind David's self-destructing article that broke this news a full week before the rest of the world....

Theo said:

But its lousy for Yamaha, they will only have 2 bikes until Rossi starts his team, maybe they might even vanish from motogp like Suzuki did in 2011.

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If they decide to wait for Rossi's VR46 Team to be established in 2020, rather than investing resources and money on another satellite team now (which SHOULD have been Tech3 seeing how well Zarco has been performing) they don't deserve anything but that, IMHO.

Holypuck said:

If they decide to wait for Rossi's VR46 Team to be established in 2020, rather than investing resources and money on another satellite team now (which SHOULD have been Tech3 seeing how well Zarco has been performing) they don't deserve anything but that, IMHO.

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I don't think it's a matter of Yamaha investing, they need an existing team to drop their current bike supplier and go to them don't they?

Macca said:

I don't think it's a matter of Yamaha investing, they need an existing team to drop their current bike supplier and go to them don't they?

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Yes but why would an existing satellite team drop their current bike supplier?

Because another supplier would offer them more assistance and/or more money, which in either case is an investment.

Holypuck said:

Yes but why would an existing satellite team drop their current bike supplier?

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This was my exactly my point - What can Yamaha realistically do now to get an existing team to take their satellite bikes?
Especially is it's very likely it's only going to be a 2-year deal as we know team VR64 are coming in 2020...?

It does seem like a no win situation for the a team that picks up the Yamaha for a short time. By the time the riders and team learnt the bike it would almost be time to change manufacturers again.

Macca said:

This was my exactly my point - What can Yamaha realistically do now to get an existing team to take their satellite bikes?
Especially is it's very likely it's only going to be a 2-year deal as we know team VR64 are coming in 2020...?

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They are in this position because they want to safeguard their beloved Vale. It is my belief that no one will want to be a Yamaha satellite team for 2019 and 20. And honestly Yamaha deserves that.

Ducati and Honda both gave a factory bike to their satellite Teams, respectively to Petrucci and Cal. Yamaha didn't want to create an internal conflict and have their boys beaten by the underdog Zarco, and even before the brand hardly ever seemed to care about Tech3. That's not how you handle your resources IMHO.

p4p1 said:

It does seem like a no win situation for the a team that picks up the Yamaha for a short time. By the time the riders and team learnt the bike it would almost be time to change manufacturers again.

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Not to mention the cost. Factory Yam's and Honda's are expensive to lease, which is why most of the privateer teams traditionally used Ducati's as they were cheaper (presumably because they weren't as quick in days gone by). It's the very reason Gresini, who were Honda's top satellite team, ended up partnering with Aprilia.

The problem Yamaha have now is that any team who wants them is unlikely to be able to afford the price they'll want to lease them (Avintia, Nieto come to mind) and now there is even more choice of bikes available with Suzuki and possibly Aprilia offering customer bikes, there simply won't be the market for Yamaha to command a high price for their bikes.

Lin Jarvis today said that Yamaha is open to offering more than two satellite bikes per year if needed. That’s a confidence boosting move to Nieto/ Avintia/ Marc VDS who are having their meetings with Yamaha this week.

I would prefer that Yamaha do a completely unexpected move. Decide to not offer any satellite bikes for two years and put three satellite bikes on the grid for the next two years, the third bike for Zarco. Honda has done it, so why not Yamaha?

Update: Lin Jarvis also left the door open for at least one factory bike for whoever that takes over Tech 3’s deal in 2019.

If that happens (And Marc VDS is the favorite at the moment), KTM+ Tech 3 are not able to keep Zarco and their project does not progress at the meteoric pace from the first year, Herve Poncharal would have ruined a 20 year relationship for not much upside.