Agreement between JiR and Scot: the adventure of JiR Scot Team begins JiR and Kopron Team Scot announce an important new collaboration to race in the 2008 Motorcycle World Championship in the MotoGP and 250cc categories. The joint announcement is made by Gianluca Montiron, the owner of JiR MotoGP Team, Cirano Mularoni currently team manager of Kopron Team Scot and the president of Scot Group, Giovanni Torri. The program involves a common development of a sporting and commercial activity starting from the lower categories and aims to create a project for talented young riders and a route to the highest class in motorcycle racing. All parties have expressed mutual satisfaction with the agreement achieved, meaning a strategic partnership that will see the debut of emerging ace Andrea Dovizioso in the premier class and the renewed recruitment of the Japanese rider Yuki Takahashi in the 250cc category, both running on Honda machines. Gianluca Montiron Director, JiR Team Scot “A global vision of racing is fundamental for the future. If we look ahead at the upcoming technical rule-changes, it is commonly recognised that we must build a project both sporting and commercial in consideration of both these very important categories. Together with Giovanni Torri and Cirano Mularoni, we have come to a definition of a programme devoted to a global project. Lining up a talented Italian rider such as Andrea Dovizioso young, fast, and motivated is a great satisfaction for my MotoGP team. In the 250cc class we will pursue the project dedicated to Japanese riders that we started in 2002 along with Tetsuya Harada. Given the ongoing generational changes in the MotoGP class, I believe we need to invest in young riders.” Cirano Mularoni Team Manager, JiR Team Scot “It is a great pleasure for us to announce such an agreement, with MotoGP being our highest target ever. Our gratification is even bigger since we are introducing into the premier class Andrea Dovizioso, a talented young rider that we have followed and grown with in the 125cc and 250cc categories. Next season will be our seventh consecutive year that we share personally and professionally with Andrea. This is certainly a record in the Motorcycle World Championship, which confirms the continuity of our work. We will be committed to the lower classes as well since they represent a key step for the next generation or rising stars. For this reason next year we will again run Yuki Takahashi in the 250cc class, looking for him to naturally progress into the premier class at a later time.” Giovanni Torri President of Scot Group “I am pleased with our agreement which is the meeting point of two companies in the motorcycling world, leading to a joint-venture that optimizes their effort for a common global project. The experience and know-how gained through the years have allowed us to become undisputed professionals in this arena and we will bring innovation and excitement to the Motorcycle World Championship.” Andrea Dovizioso Rider, JiR Team Scot MotoGP “Being part of the MotoGP class is a dream come true, a goal pursued with hard work and efforts. Now I feel ready to jump into this category following my experience in the quarter-litre class, a category experiencing an increased level of competition compared to the past. I just regret not to enter the MotoGP as the World Champion of 250cc where I proved my skills and fought to the end. I am very happy to run in the MotoGP alongside Honda and those people who have grown with me as a rider. Facing such a challenge with people I feel at home with gives me the necessary energy, serenity and harmony. I wish to experience a good season: I look forward to starting!” Yuki Takahashi Rider, JiR Team Scot 250cc “The current season that is about to end has been an unlucky one because of the inconvenient injuries I suffered since last year in Valencia! Hopefully these problems are receding now. Therefore I am happy to run in a category I am desperate to master! I wish to thank Cirano Mularoni, Giovanni Torri and Luca Montiron for the help and encouragement they have given me from the start of our relationship back in 2005 when I entered the Motorcycle World Championship. They believe in me and believe in a program involving my future in MotoGP, the class in which Andrea will debut next season and to whom I say good luck!”