James Toseland’s crew chief to move to Moto2

The departure of James Toseland from MotoGP has proved costly for the crew chief at the centre of a bust-up between the British rider and Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team-mate Colin Edwards last winter.

Gary Reynders, who left Texan Edwards at the end of the 2008 MotoGP world championship to make a controversial switch to work with Toseland, will move to the new Tech 3 Moto2 squad.

The arrival of Ben Spies has cost Reynders his MotoGP role at Tech 3, with the American bringing his long-serving crew chief Tom Houseworth as part of the deal that has seen him quit World Superbikes for 2010.

Reynders’ switch led to a very public falling out between Edwards and Toseland before Christmas last year.

Toseland denied he had played any role in ‘poaching’ Reynders from Edwards, while the American launched several scathing verbal attacks as a result of the switch that saw him work with experienced Guy Coulon.

The issue forced Tech 3 to follow the example of Yamaha’s Fiat-backed factory team with a dividing wall introduced Toseland and Edwards have since settled their differences and the pair are now back on speaking terms.