Valentino Rossi to set up Moto2 team in 2011

Valentino Rossi has launched a bid to become a team owner in the 2011 Moto2 world championship.

MCN understands Rossi will help fund the project with lifelong friend Uccio Salucci installed as boss of the Italian legend’s new Grand Prix venture.

MCN sources claimed Rossi was in negotiations with Eskil Suter at the Motorland Aragon race last weekend about a chassis deal as the reigning world MotoGP champion looks to finalise his plans. 

Any new team wishing to enter Moto2 must have submitted an official application to the International Race Teams Association by September 28.

One rider will be Italian Andrea Iannone, who won Sunday’s Moto2 race for his third win of the campaign.

It is the second big career change for Rossi in the space of two months after he completed a shock move from Yamaha to Ducati in a two-year deal announced at Brno in mid-August.

A prominent source told MCN: “It looks like one very high profile MotoGP rider will have his own Moto2 team next season. Iannone will be one rider. He has interest from just about every team, but it looks like he will end up with Valentino.”

Provisional acceptance for the 2011 Moto2 series will be made on October 8 at the Sepang Grand Prix in Malaysia.

Those teams granted an entry will then need to a pay 20,000 Euro security deposit per rider by October 29 in Estoril.

The idea is then to unveil a list of accepted entries during the final round of the season in Valencia in early November.