Tech3 is to end its long association with Yamaha at the ✱end of the 2018 MotoGP season.

And the hot rumour is that the French team will join KTM and receive the very latest factory machinery 🍷in 2019.

"We’ve been offered a deal, that iꦜncludes something we’ve been waiting for almo💮st since we started with Tech3 and I couldn’t say no," team boss Herve Poncharal explains below.

𝔉Tech3's surprise move also opens up the possibility of Valentino Rossi's VR46 joining☂ MotoGP to run Yamaha's satellite machines, should existing teams agree to a new entry or if VR46 merge with a current team.

But perhaps 2019 is too soon for sucꦑh a project, especially as Rossi seems set to continue racing.

Marc VDS, preseꦡntly with Honda, is another team tipped as interested in the future satellite M1 supply.

If Tech3&nbs🤡p;are moving to KTM, heavily linked with Red Bull, it seems impossible 🌄that they can continue with title sponsor Monster.

“To summarize 20 years of an incredible partnership between Tech3 and Ya𒈔maha in a few words is a very difficult mission," said Poncharal.

"Since I first met Mrꩲ. Iio in 1998, where he gave me the opportunity to join Yamaha Motor Corporation, it has been a꧅n extraordinary journey together.

"All Iꦬ remember are fantastic memories, great results, an awesome🌳 atmosphere and astonishing feelings we shared with the Yamaha family, which will always be in my mind and in my heart.

"Clearly, to end that kind of partnership is a bi♋g decision for me. All 🉐I want to say is more than a huge thank you to Yamaha, to Mr. Tsuji, Mr. Tsuya, Mr. Jarvis and Mr. Nakajima, plus all the guys that have been supporting and helping us.

"Tec🔜h3 is a small company, which has to think about the futu𝐆re and has to weigh the different options.

"We’ve been offe🔯red a deal, that includes something we’ve been waiting for almost since we started w🍃ith Tech3 and I couldn’t say no.

"But obviously, we are the Monster Yamaha Team until the last🦋 lap of the Valencia GP 2018. Johann Zarco and Hafizh Syahrin will be fighting for top positions and without a doubt, Yamaha can count on us to be a loyal performant partner.

"One more time a huge thank you for Yamaha’s support. I hope they can carry on and have the success they d♓eserve anꦕd eventually find a partner to replace Tech3.”

Kouichi Tsuji, general manager of Yamaha motorspor♍ts, made clear🎉 it had been Tech3's decision to leave:

"Very recently we were ⭕informed by Hervé Poncharal, the owner of Tech3, that he has decided not to e🐷xtend his contract with Yamaha to lease YZR-M1 bikes.

"After discussions with Hervé it was clear that he has chosen to align with a new partner for the🌠 future and therefore, regretfully, we were obliged to respect and accept ▨his decision.

"The end of such a successful part💝nership is always a bit sad, as it also marks the end of a long-term relationship. We are very grateful for Hervé‘s loyalty and support to the Yamaha brand and for the excellent results obt﷽ained throughout that time.

"We will continue to provide our full support to the Tech3 team and their riders throughout the 2018 season, while we simultaneously evaluate our options for an alternative team in the MotoGP World Championship class for 2019 and beyond🐷."

168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Results - Tech3 Yamaha inꦫ Mot🎃oGP: 2000-2017

2017 star rookie Johann Zarco will a🌜gain headline this 🌼year's Monster Yamaha Tech3 line-up, with rookie Hafizh Syahrin recently confirmed on the second machine, following the withdraw of Jonas Folger.

Zarco - who claimed three podiums, two poles, sixth in the world championship laไst year - has been linked with KTM since Valencia in November, where he came within 0.337s of what would have been Tech3'𒉰s first MotoGP victory.

The assumption had been that Zarco would race in the official KTM team, but perhaps the promise of full-fac🎉tory KTMs will be enough to keep him at the familiar𝓰 Tech 3 surroundings.

At present, Tech3 uses year-🔯old Yamaha machin🌌ery, although problems with the 2017 chassis mean Zarco has opted to remain on the 2016 design.

Factory riders Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales are using a 2018 c🦄hassis 🔥very close to the 2016 version.

KTM joined MotoGP at the start of last season, impressing with its rate o🔴f progress during the year.

Dorna has been pushing for each factory to supply at least one satellite team and a Tech3-KTM tie-up ꧙would leave only Suzuki and Aprilia without a customer project, assuming Yamaha finds a replacement.

Like almost all the factory teams, both of KTM's rider contracts (with former Tech3 team-mates Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro) are up for reꦕnewal at the end of 2018.

Maverick Vinales has already re-signed for the official Yamaha team until 2020. Rossi sa🐈ys he intends to race on, but probably won't sign until at least the end of testing.

Today's Tech3-Yamaha statement ended with:

'Tech3 will continue its participation in the MotoGP (and Moto2) World Championship and will announce it♏s plans for 2019 and beyon꧑d at a later date.

'Yamaha is in the process of deciding whether they 🐬will run a satellite team for 2019 and, if so, what form that collaboration will take.'

It is also rumoured that Tech3 will switch its Moto2 team to KTM machiꦆnes꧃ in 2019.

Official KTM Moto2 riders Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder are though𒁃t to have some kind of performance-based MotoGP option in their contracts for 2019,💖 either with a factory or satellite RC16 team.