Pramac Racing has ended its long-standing partnership with Ducati and has signed a new multi-year partnership deal with Yamaha. This follows Ducati's decision to keep Marc Marquez for its factory team, leading Pramac's championship leader, Jorge Martin, to sign with Aprilia. Though Pramac has a year left on its Ducati contract, rumours of their departure began before the 2024 season. Pramac had been on Yamaha's radar as a potential satellite team. This move reflects Yamaha's intent to revive their M1 machine and reclaim championship success after Fabio Quartararo's 2021 title. In contrast to other manufacturers with satellite team support, Yamaha only has two factory bikes on the grid. Ducati, before this change, had three satellite teams on the grid.
Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing Lin Jarvis said: 'We now enter the next phase – one that we have been looking forward to for a long time: the arrival of a second Yamaha team. The new partnership with Prima Pramac Racing will take a different form than we have used in the past. Rather than a satellite team, with this new agreement Yamaha have put their trust in Pramac Racing, and we will be providing them with Factory bikes of the same specification used by the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team. The targets are to accelerate bike development, which remains YMC and YMR's key priority in our quest to return to winning ways, as well as having four competitive riders in the MotoGP championship in two top-class teams.'
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In a shift in strategy, Yamaha plans to provide identical bikes to both their racing teams next season. This is a big change for Iwata, as it will place more factory bikes on the grid which will help them to collect more data and develop their M1.
MotoGP: Ducati and Pramac
Pramac entered MotoGP in 2002 by sponsoring the Honda team. In 2005, they teamed up with the D'Antin team, who were already riding Ducatis. In 2020, Pramac became a major partner, gaining access to Ducati's best bikes.
Things seemed good with an extension until 2026, but this year, tensions arose. Pramac noticed Ducati getting close to the VR46 team and even suggested Pramac give up a bike for Rossi's team. This caused friction, leading Pramac to move on.
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MotoGP: Yamaha and Pramac
According to rumours, Yamaha's financial offer to Pramac makes the switch much easier. Yamaha is reportedly offering new M1 bikes for free, replacing the expensive leasing deal with Ducati.
With the bike deal settled, attention turns to who will ride them. Yamaha might want different riders than Ducati, so things could get interesting. Pramac has two valuable spots on Yamaha bikes, attracting big-name riders. The rider market is set for a shake-up, and Pramac might end up with some serious talent on their bikes.
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