It has been formally announced that Marco Simoncelli will sign to ride in MotoGP for Honda Gresini in 2010. Simoncelli was rumoured to be speaking to a number of teams, including Tech-3 Yamaha and was even reported to have been quoted as saying “Yamaha is my first choice”.
Marco Simoncelli said:
“Next year I will be a member of the Honda Gresini team and I am very happy because it is an Italian team. I think they are a very strong team. I am very happy to be with Honda and with Fausto. As many people know I am friends with Valentino Rossi and we sometimes go motocross training together but I would like to be fighting against him next year because that will mean I am doing very well.”
In a ‘good news’ day – Gresini Honda also announced that their sponsors San Carlo will also contunie to sponsor the team in 2010.
Gresini Honda Press Release:
SAN CARLO TO CONTINUE AS MAIN SPONSOR OF TEAM HONDA GRESINI AS MARCO SIMONCELLI SIGNS FOR 2010
Continuing four years of successful collaboration an agreement to extend the successful and expanding relationship between Team Honda Gresini and San Carlo has been reached, allowing the two parties to move forward in their shared values of passion, competition, loyalty and team spirit. It is in a declaration of San Carlo’s mutual intent that allows the team to announce the early capture of Marco Simoncelli as one of its riders for next season.
San Carlo are moving forward at full speed and have ensured that Simoncelli becomes the latest ingredient in an ambitious project.
Born in Cattolica on the 22nd January 1987, Marco is the current 250cc World Champion and as well as seven victories so far in the quarter-litre class he also has two 125cc Grand Prix victories to his name, with 22 podium appearances in all. His aggressive riding style and genial, extrovert character have sealed his popularity both on and off the track.
Fausto Gresini said:
“We’re extremely happy to be able to make this important announcement: renewing our agreement with San Carlo, who have shown great belief in us and continue to support our targets for next year, and the agreement with Marco Simoncelli to race with us in MotoGP. Marco has that determination and character that we want from a rider as part of his DNA and we are sure we can look ahead to exciting times with him. Marco has shown over the past couple of years that he has the ability to be a major force in the premier class, as well as being a great communicator. We have established a good feeling with him already and that facilitated negotiations over a contract that we have signed for 2010. Also, Honda rates Simoncelli highly and believes he is a rider with great potential for the future, so Honda is very pleased that we are welcoming Simoncelli next season. Having Marco with us creates new and important objectives for the team, which San Carlo want to reach together with us. The determination on the part of San Carlo to be an active part of “sport that makes life taste better” has given our project another push. Today is an important day for San Carlo and ourselves, and as we wait in expectation of great things together in the future, we wish Marco all the best in his bid to fight until the end and successfully defend his 250 title.”
The opportunity to have Marco Simoncelli in the San Carlo Honda Gresini Team made us very happy as we do believe he is a great champion and a rider loved by everyone. We are sure that the whole team will find strong motivation in this new challenge and that next year they will give us satisfaction from the sports and human point of view.”
No decision has been made on who will lose their ride from the current Gresini riders – Toni Elias and Alex deAngelis, however Marco Melandri has been strongly linked to Gresini and could become Simoncelli’s team-mate. Spanish 250GP rider Hector Barbera is also believed to have been in talks with the team.
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