ROSSI’S VR46 TEAM TO ENTER MOTOGP

Valentino Rossi’s own VR46 squad will compete in MotoGP from 2022 until at least the end of the 2026 season sponsored by oil company Saudi Aramco.

Rossi has fielded bikes in the intermediate Moto2 class since 2017 and in Moto3 since 2014, but will continue this progression next season racing in the premier class.

Alongside its plans for MotoGP, the team confirmed the continuation of its Moto2 program, but a Moto3 entry was not announced.

The announcement was made by Tanal Entertainment Sport & Media, which is a holding company of Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al Suad.

Tanal Entertainment Sport & Media hopes that the partnership will help to promote the Saudi Vision 2030 project.

The move of Rossi’s VR46 team into MotoGP has been mooted for many seasons, but speculation grew when the Italian ace’s half-brother Luca Marini joined this year’s grid on a Avintia-run Ducati backed by the squad.

However, the Spanish Avintia team has announced it will contest its final season in the premier class this year, leaving an opening for VR46 to take those two spots in the championship.

At this stage, riders are unknown as is the bike it will use, though reports suggest Rossi wants VR46 to be a Suzuki team. At this stage however, the Japanese manufacturer has not signalled any interest in providing support to a satellite operation.

Ducati is keen to continue running six machines and with the departure of Avintia two bikes become available.

It also makes sense to have an Italian team utilising competitive bikes from the same country of origin.

Yamaha has also revealed interest in signing up with the VR46 squad and this makes sense to continue a partnership, which previously has delivered four-world titles.

It is also favoured Marini will be paired with another Italian rider as VR46 is yet to field an entry for any other nationality full-time in any class.

What this means for Rossi’s future remains to be seen after ‘The Doctor’ joined satellite outfit Petronas Yamaha SRT this season following a seven-year stint with the factory team, his second term with the Japanese manufacturer.

Rossi is still enjoying his time in MotoGP, but results have been hard to come by during the past 12 months. The Italian great has failed to finish in the top 10 this year, his last being at the sixth round of the 2020 season at Misano.

So far this season, Rossi has scored four-points all from the opening round.

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