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When they had the opportunity, the bosses of Petronas did not hesitate to go in MotoGP. Entering the Queen category as a title sponsor of a new team backed by the company is not a chance that presents itself every day.
The highly successful deal enjoyed by the Malaysian oil giant with Mercedes in F1, which has allowed five drivers to win the title in the last five years, sets the tone for winning the first prize in the motorcycle race.
Tech 3 signed an agreement to become the second KTM team, ending a 20-year relationship with Yamaha, paving the way for the SIC (Sepang International Circuit) team to start with Petronas support.
While Tech 3 had to deal with manual machines from the factory, the new Petronas SRT team will benefit from a much closer relationship with Yamaha, which will virtually deliver a bike to Franco Morbidelli with specifications similar to those that Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales factory drivers will use.
Sometimes, the great price rider, Johan Stigefelt, is responsible for the brand new operation, supported with talent by the former right-hand man of Jorge Lorenzo, Wilco Zeelenberg. In the first year, the goal is simply to get into MotoGP – and grow, again and again.
That's exactly what Petronas expects from this project, both in terms of results and technology used in this area. After all, there is no better testbike in motorcycling than MotoGP, and it's a major motivation for the firm to start this new adventure.
"Motorcycle racing is one of the most popular disciplines among young people in Malaysia," Afonso Mohd Yusof, the sponsorship manager of Petronas, told Motorsport.com. "We supply lubricant and oil to the Mercedes F1 team and the results could not be better. Now we want to find this success in MotoGP. "
"We have to relearn because everything that allowed us to succeed in F1 can not be applied to MotoGP. What we want is to be able to develop our products on a test bench as demanding as this championship. We are not just a sponsor for Yamaha, but we are also part of the team and we will come to each Grand Prix. "
Datuk Razlan Razali, CEO of the Sepang International Circuit, is the other key player in this ambitious program. He was the man in charge of communicating with the various parties and putting everything in order when the opportunity presented itself.
"We had not planned our entry into MotoGP even though it was obvious that it was our wish," Razlan said. "With Yamaha, everything depends on the budget, it's as simple as that. At first we wanted both riders to have an official bike, but it makes no sense to spend money on an official bike when Fabio [Quartararo, the team’s second rider] must learn and get used to the category.
"We expect a lot from Franco, he arrives after being the best rookie of [2018] season. He really impressed us the first two days on the bike [during Valencia post-season testing last week]. We want to be the best independent team and he wants to be the best independent runner; that's why he will have an official bike. "
The official launch of Petronas SRT will likely take place in Sepang, just before the first pre-season test of 2019, scheduled from February 6 to 8.
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