The 2013 Moto2 season has yet to start and last season’s runner-up Pol Espargaro is highly tipped to dominate the season and the Spanish rider is already on Yamaha’s radar according Speedweek.
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It does seem a little early to talk about a 2014 silly season since both Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi have two-year deals with Iwata manufacturer that expire in 2014 (with the Italian expected to retire or switch to WSBK’s or rally racing), but apparently Yamaha is again thinking about the future and wants to get a big head start on scooping up the talented Espargaro before the competition gets to him.
Lin Jarvis, with the help of Davide Brivio had already had a pre-contract signed with Lorenzo during the 2006 Motegi round – two years before the reigning World champion even debuted in MotoGP and while the binding contract was signed on July 2007 after the US GP at Laguna Seca, so such early contacts with Espargaro don’t appear so far-fetched as the rumor could suggest.
Even if the rookie rule has been abolished (thanks to Honda and Marc Marquez), Espargaro could for the time being end up in Yamaha’s Tech3 squad in 2014 and eventually replace Cal Crutchlow who renewed just for single season (the British rider being tipped as a strong contender for a Ducati or even Suzuki ride in 2014).
Poncharal is an Espargaró fan and was one of the riders on his 2013 wish list, if Crutchlow decided to jump ship, so it wouldn’t be difficult for the French manager to have the Spanish rider in his team and it also helps that Espargaro is also already a Monster Energy sponsored rider, who just happens to be the title sponsor for Tech 3 and now the official sponsor of the Yamaha Factory team.
