Yamaha not bidding to sign Marc Marquez for 2012

Yamaha has denied launching an audacious bid to poach Spanish starlet Marc Marquez from under the noses of Japanese rivals Honda.

The reigning 125GP world champion has been linked with a move to MotoGP with Honda in 2012 if he wraps up this year’s Moto2 world championship.

His current Moto2 team boss Emilio Alzamora though hinted at strong Yamaha interest recently when speaking to MCN and he said: “Honda for the future has a big interest in Marc and I don’t know if that is for next season or not. Yamaha also would like to have a future with Marc, so nothing is decided.”

HRC insists it can’t offer Marquez a bike until 2013, though Honda sources confirmed to MCN that a request has been submitted to lease an RC213V next season if he clinches the Moto2 crown If Marquez wanted to move to MotoGP with Yamaha next season he would have had to join Cal Crutchlow in the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 squad. There is a rule in place that rookies can’t immediately join a factory squad, but Yamaha has no places available now that Andrea Dovizioso has penned a one-year deal to join Tech 3.

And Tech 3 boss Herve Poncharal told MCN: “Clearly Yamaha don’t want to produce any more than four bikes and honestly I’ve never spoken to Marquez or his people. If he wins Moto2 this year I think it would be a good move and great for MotoGP. But Marquez is very much linked to Repsol, which is very much linked to Honda and I think their interest is more to enter MotoGP as part of the Honda family.”