PETRONAS SRT TO CEASE OPERATIONS

At the end of the current MotoGP season, the Petronas Sepang Racing Team will cease operations in the premier class in its current guise, with a new era set to begin in 2022.

It was announced several weeks ago that the team would no longer contest the Moto2 and Moto3 championships in 2022 after title sponsor Petronas announced that it would not continue as a naming rights sponsor into 2022.

However, the team which is represented in Moto3 and Moto2 as Petronas Sprinta Racing and in MotoGP under the Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team banner has now confirmed it will conclude all activities, both racing and non-racing, at the end of the season.

Although the team in its current form will no longer be around, Petronas Sepang Racing Team Principal Razlan Razali and the outfit’s director Johan Stigefelt will continue in MotoGP from 2022 onwards with a new entity.

This new entity along with the title partner will be announced at the first of the scheduled rounds at Misano on September 16.

Razali took the time to thank all of the team’s partners and supporters over the years.

“The team will race its final race in Valencia and we thank all our crew, riders, fans and partners for their support,” he said.

“In particular, we thank Petronas, with whom none of this would have been possible. Together we pushed the Petronas brand and Malaysian expertise to the forefront of the grid and captured unprecedented brand exposure and coverage, exponentially surpassing all expectations.”

Since Petronas SRT joined the premier class in 2019, they have been consistent frontrunners with both Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli taking multiple victories with the team, the latter finishing second in the standings last year.

Stigefelt expressed his happiness to see the small team rise into a front-running and race winning MotoGP squad.

“Thank you to Petronas for the opportunity given over the past three years and everything we have achieved together,” he said.

“I am sad we were not able to continue this project as we established a great team across all three categories of MotoGP in such a short time and our vision was for this to be a long-term project.

“We have worked with incredible personnel, fantastic riders and enjoyed the support of great partners and wonderful fans and we offer our heartfelt gratitude to them all.

“Thank you also to Sepang International Circuit with whom the relationship goes back to 2015. Together we grew from a small two-rider Moto3 squad to one of the biggest teams to have ever existed in the MotoGP paddock.

“I am proud to have been part of this journey together and without Sepang International Circuit this would not have been possible.”

He is also very keen for the future, with the announcement of the 2022 plans just around the corner.

“For the future we have a new and exciting project. We remain in the paddock in MotoGP with new shirts to wear,” he said.

“But more of that later; for now we have the remaining races of the 2021 season to race as hard as possible. Thank you all.”

Three-time championship runner-up Andrea Dovizioso has been rumoured to be in discussions with the team to make a comeback after being forced into a season’s hiatus this year.

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