Tech 3 deny making Yamaha MotoGP offer to Alex Rins

Tech 3 Yamaha boss Herve Poncharal has rubbished claims by Alex Rins that the Spanish teenager turned down the chance to replace Bradley Smith on a factory-backed YZR-M1 in 2015.

Rins confirmed in Misano recently he would be switching to Moto2 next season, having clinched a deal to replace Suzuki-bound Maverick Vinales in the Pons squad.

Prior to finalising his 2015 future, Rins had suggested he’d rejected an offer to join compatriot Pol Espargaro at Tech 3 next season.

That has been denied by Poncharal, who said he never submitted a formal proposal to Rins, who currently sits 20-points off Moto3 world championship leader Jack Miller with five races remaining after he took a dramatic last lap win in Misano.

Poncharal told MCN: “I have always been a big fan of Alex Rins. I like him as a rider and as a person off the track. But I didn’t really understand what he has been saying about talks with Yamaha.

“I simply asked him if he would like to come to us in Moto2 and he said yes, but he wanted a Kalex frame and the answer was obviously no, as we will remain with our own chassis.

“After Assen and Sachsenring and I made a list of a few names about 2015 for MotoGP. One of them was Jack (Miller) and Bradley was obviously on the list and one of the names was Alex.

“I rang him and asked him what he thought if he would be offered a MotoGP deal for next year and would he take it? That was me asking and not Yamaha and it was never Yamaha. It was Herve Poncharal and Tech 3 and the answer was no, which I understand.

“Then I read in the Spanish media in Brno that Alex thought it was crazy to move and he would never make the jump. It said Yamaha contacted him and as I said, Lin Jarvis never contacted Alex.

“I did it through his father and I never made him an offer. It was just asking about what he thought and maybe he would never have been made an official offer.

“I think he has tried to use that to have the media talking about him. I can’t let anybody say that Yamaha contacted him directly because he was never offered a MotoGP deal.”