Honda Racing Corporation has announced the signing of Pol Espargaro as a factory rider. The former Moto2 World Champion will join the Repsol Honda Team on a two-year contract. He will join eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez aboard the Honda RC213V. Espargaro is one of the most experienced riders on the grid, having raced in the World Championship since 2006 and with 104 premier class Grands Prix contested.
Honda has also announced renewal with Alex Marquez, extending his current agreement until the end of 2022. But he will be moved to the LCR Honda with full factory support.
For 2020, the former Moto3 and Moto2 World Champion will continue to race in the premier class aboard his Honda RC213V in the Repsol Honda Team.
After winning the title in the middleweight class, Marquez has a whole season ahead to gain experience and make progress in HRC’s long term project, which sees the 24-year old Spanish rider join the LCR Honda Team at the end of 2020.
All this of course means Crutchlow has been let go. HRC thanked Cal Crutchlow for his diligent and tireless work since joining HRC in 2015. With three wins and 12 podiums, the British rider has been a valuable asset on and off track – a constant source of excellent feedback for the engineers and a key part of developing the Honda RC213V in recent years. Presently it looks like he would head down to the Aprilia squad to replace Andrea Ianonne.
