GASGAS set for MotoGP™ in 2023
Pol Espargaro to lead rider line-up as the iconic motorcycle brand joins the premier class
Friday, 19 August 2022
In a special Press Conference at the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich, GASGAS announced their presence on the MotoGP™ grid from 2023. Pit Beirer, GASGAS Motorsports Director, and Hubert Trunkenpolz, Member of the Executive Board; CMO, were joined by Tech3 Factory Racing Team Principal Herve Poncharal at the event.
From 2023, Spain’s iconic motorcycle brand will join MotoGP™ for the first time in a deal that sees the Tech3 Factory Team turn GASGAS red and officially become the GASGAS Factory Racing Team. Pol Espargaro will lead the rider line-up, with his teammate set to be announced soon.
GASGAS found fame in Trials and Enduro before finding even more success in motocross, supercross and rally in recent years, with a comprehensive foundation of offroad production bikes. Now, after tasting the spoils and bringing home trophies in both Moto2™ and Moto3™ thanks to the GASGAS Aspar Team, the brand will join the pinnacle of motorcycle racing: MotoGP™.
The iconic GASGAS red and white livery will represent the sixth brand in the premier class of motorcycle Grand Prix racing.
QUOTES
PIT BEIRER, GASGAS MOTORSPORTS DIRECTOR
“GASGAS is a winning brand. It has reached an incredible level of performance immediately in disciplines like MXGP, Supercross, Enduro and Rally where we have taken Grands Prix, Main Events, world titles and overall winners’ trophies. It’s a relatively new brand for us and we have new goals. We hope the fans that follow ‘the red’ will enjoy the story. Thanks to our strong partner, the ASPAR team, in Moto3 and Moto2 we have been able to see the GASGAS bikes right at the front of those categories. It would be great to see the same thing eventually in the hardest class of them all. I want to thank Hervé and the Tech3 factory racing team for keeping an open mind and really supporting this change to become the GASGAS Factory Racing Team. We think it’s exciting and different.”
HUBERT TRUNKENPOLZ, MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD, CMO
“Taking the GASGAS name bigger and wider than its roots in Trial has been really successful in a number of ways. After seeing what we could achieve in Moto3 and Moto2 the next question was whether we could take GASGAS to MotoGP and we’re thrilled that we can make this step. It’s a new journey and I know the brand will stand out right away. Importantly, the team, the riders, the management will help GASGAS make a splash in the premier class. That’s what we’re hoping for!”
HERVE PONCHARAL, TECH3 FACTORY RACING TEAM PRINCIPAL
“Since we joined the Pierer Mobility Group, I can tell you that it has been my happiest professional years in my life. Because, when you work with Stefan, when you work with Hubert, and when you work with Pit, of course, the target and the main thing is competition, but I also love to spend evenings with these gentlemen to talk about business, to talk about strategy, to see how our motorcycle industry is evolving. I’m really, really happy to be part of a European manufacturer and the European manufacturers all together are moving on; we can see every single Sunday on the MotoGP™ podium that they are more and more. To be a full factory GASGAS team is a big source of pride.
“If you remember well, a few years ago, there was a young man, a Moto2 World Champion, that joined the MotoGP class with Tech3. His name is Pol Espargaro. We had a great few years together when we started, we discovered the MotoGP class together, and I have always said that Pol is a real fighter, Pol was a key player in the Pierer Mobility KTM MotoGP programme, and I’m delighted to announce he is back in the family. We can’t wait to start working with him, and I think he will be a perfect ambassador for the GASGAS brand. So, this is like a fairytale; welcome back, Pol. This is also to Stefan, Hubert, and Pit to say more than me, but anyway, I’m over the moon and I think this GASGAS MotoGP project couldn’t start better than with Pol. So, this is fantastic news and I just can’t wait to be in November!
“I just feel happy, I just love challenges. This is why I’m here and racing is about challenges – industry, business challenges – and I’m very happy to be part of this new challenge.”
More, from a press release issued by GASGAS Factory Racing:
GET ON THE GAS! GASGAS SET FOR 2023 MOTOGP™
GASGAS have always been keen to get on the gas for fun but now the throttle grip feels different, the pace faster and the stakes higher.
From 2023 Spain’s iconic motorcycle brand will join the rush of MotoGP for the first time in deal that sees the Tech3 Factory Team turn a full crimson red. The renowned race-winning crew will be equipped with GASGAS MotoGP technology and will place the machinery into the hands of Pol Espargaro for the globe-trotting Grand Prix series with a second rider to be confirmed soon.
Competition – and all the thrill and excitement that comes from racing – is part of GASGAS’ soul. The company, formed in the 1980s, celebrated the joy and buzz that motorcycling brings: everything that is daring, capable, vibrant, inviting. Fame in Trials and Enduro quickly transformed into motocross, supercross and rally success in recent years with a comprehensive foundation of offroad production bikes and now – after tasting spoils in in both Moto3™ and Moto2™ classes- the brand is ready for the next frontier; the pinnacle of road racing.
GASGAS want to bring their young, fresh and passionate vibe to the highest stage and that meant transforming the objectives of the Tech3 Factory Racing team for 2023. The decorated outfit and Pol Espargaro will become a new and welcome member of the GASGAS family. The popular 31-year-old will also tie-in some of GASGAS’ Iberian heritage for their maiden MotoGP tilt.
The distinctive red and white livery will go faster than it ever has been thanks to the new GASGAS MotoGP trailblazer. The marque will be the sixth brand in MotoGP for 2023 but has already boosted its presence with Grand Prix victories and podium appearances in Moto3 and Moto2 in the last two seasons thanks to the excellence of the GASGAS Aspar team.
Pit Beirer, GASGAS Motorsports Director: “GASGAS is a winning brand. It has reached an incredible level of performance immediately in disciplines like MXGP, Supercross, Enduro and Rally where we have taken Grands Prix, Main Events, world titles and overall winners’ trophies. It’s a relatively new brand for us and we have new goals. We hope the fans that follow ‘the red’ will enjoy the story. Thanks to our strong partner, the ASPAR team, in Moto3 and Moto2 we have been able to see the GASGAS bikes right at the front of those categories. It would be great to see the same thing eventually in the hardest class of them all. I want to thank Hervé and the Tech3 factory racing team for keeping an open mind and really supporting this change to become the GASGAS Factory Racing Team. We think it’s exciting and different.”
Hubert Trunkenpolz, Member of the Executive Board, CMO: “Taking the GASGAS name bigger and wider than its roots in Trial has been really successful in a number of ways. After seeing what we could achieve in Moto3 and Moto2 the next question was whether we could take GASGAS to MotoGP and we’re thrilled that we can make this step. It’s a new journey and I know the brand will stand out right away. Importantly, the team, the riders, the management will help GASGAS make a splash in the premier class. That’s what we’re hoping for!”
