Bola.net – MotoGP 2023 only has one series left, namely the Valencia Series at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit, Spain, on 24-26 November 2023. Apart from hosting the closing series, Valencia will witness the end of an era. The reason is, there are 7 riders who will part ways with their respective teams.
Silly season aka the gossip period for driver transfers this year is indeed unusual. The reason is, most riders have good relationships with their teams and appear competitive, so it is difficult to see the potential for separation between them. In fact, it still happens.
Apart from that, some of the riders who left also chose to leave their teams when they still had a year left on their contracts. This trend is also considered to tarnish the legal value and professionalism of agreed contracts. In fact, separation still happens.
So, who are the racers who will leave their teams after racing at the 2023 Valencia MotoGP? Here’s the review.
1 of 7 pages
Franco Morbidelli – Monster Energy Yamaha
Monster Energy Yamaha racer, Franco Morbidelli (c) Yamaha MotoGP
Franco Morbidelli’s contract was officially not extended by Monster Energy Yamaha, and Valentino Rossi’s protégé at the VR46 Riders Academy had to leave. The 2017 Moto2 world champion and 2020 MotoGP runner up will also move to Ducati via Prima Pramac Racing next season. Uniquely, the squad made him their junior rider in 2006, when he was still 11 years old.
2 of 7 pages
Alex Rins – LCR Honda Castrol
LCR Honda Castrol racer, Alex Rins (c) AP Photo/Darren Abate
Alex Rins actually signed a two-season contract with Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) to defend LCR Honda Castrol in 2023 and 2024. However, he is hunting for the empty seat left by Morbidelli at Monster Energy Yamaha. His contract clause with HRC stated that he could leave LCR Honda, as long as he received an offer from the factory team. Rins also took the opportunity.
3 of 7 pages
Johann Zarco – Prima Pramac Racing
Prima Pramac Racing racer, Johann Zarco (c) Pramac Racing
Seeing that his place at Prima Pramac Racing was being fought over by Morbidelli and Marc Marquez, Johann Zarco felt his future at Ducati was uncertain. He also doesn’t want to be transferred to Gresini Racing, which means he has to ride the old motorbike. As a result, he chose to leave Ducati, replacing Rins at LCR Honda. He also signed a contract with HRC for 2024 and 2025.
4 of 7 pages
Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda
Repsol Honda racer, Marc Marquez (c) Honda Racing Corporation
After seeing Honda’s downturn which would take a long time to recover, Marc Marquez finally chose to leave HRC even though he still had one season remaining on his contract. Already 30 years old, he felt he no longer had much time to wait for Honda to recover. As a result, he chose to move to Ducati via Gresini Racing on a year’s contract, with no ties to Ducati Corse.
5 of 7 pages
Luca Marini – Mooney VR46 Racing Team
Mooney VR46 Racing Team racer, Luca Marini (c) VR46 Racing Team
After Marquez left, Repsol Honda had a headache looking for a replacement. Many riders are rumored to be on HRC’s shortlist. However, Repsol Honda Team Manager, Alberto Puig, is most serious about pursuing Luca Marini even though he is still under contract for another year with the Mooney VR46 Racing Team. When this article was published, there had been no official announcement regarding Marini and HRC, but it was reported that they had agreed on a two-season contract.
6 of 7 pages
Fabio di Giannantonio – Gresini Racing
Gresini Racing racer, Fabio di Giannantonio (c) AP Photo/Hussein Sayed
Fabio di Giannantonio is certain to leave Gresini Racing. However, this was not because he wanted to, but because he was displaced by Marquez. Until the time this article was published, ‘Diggia’ had not yet received a new team. However, he is still a real option for the Mooney VR46 Racing Team to replace Marini. He also competed with two Moto2 riders, Fermin Aldeguer and Tony Arbolino.
7 of 7 pages
Pol Espargaro – GASGAS Factory Racing Tech
Factory Racing Tech 3, Pole Spargaro (c) GASGAS Images
Pol Espargaro actually still has another year’s contract with KTM to defend GASGAS Factory Racing Tech 3. However, the arrival of the 2021 Moto3 and 2023 Moto2 world champion, Pedro Acosta, made KTM persuade Espargaro to step down to the test team to work with Dani Pedrosa. Espargaro also accepted, and will become a test rider and reserve racer for KTM/GASGAS in 2024.
