Tech 3 won’t sacrifice YZR-M1 for Aleix Espargaro

Aleix Espargaro’s aspirations of racing younger brother Pol on an identical factory-backed Yamaha in 2015 have been quickly crushed.

The Spaniard was hoping his Forward Racing squad could secure the lease of a factory spec YZR-M1 like the version currently raced by reigning Moto2 world champion Pol and British teammate Bradley Smith.

With Yamaha only allowed to enter four official bikes, it would have meant Herve Poncharal’s Tech 3 squad giving up one of the YZR-M1 prototypes it currently races.
And that is not even a consideration, according to Poncharal.

Poncharal confirmed that Forward Racing boss Giovanni Cuzari had approached him about the prospect of Tech 3 relinquishing one factory spec YZR-M1, but he told MCN: “He (Cuzari) has asked me quite a few times. What I have been told so far is that in 2015 the plan is exactly the same as this year and there will be two factory bikes and two factory spec bikes in Tech 3. They (Yamaha) don’t intend to change and for me it would be very difficult to handle a team with one Factory bike and one Open bike. Yamaha has made it very clear that Tech 3 will be on a Factory spec in 2015. We have never had this conversation and the only time I have heard that is from Giovanni, who came and asked me if I would like to do it. I told them it was never going to be approved by Yamaha but maybe this is a way for him to try and retain Aleix. But that is not going to happen and in 2015 our two bikes will be Factory spec.”