MotoGP: Pol Espargaro Riding Tech3 Factory GASGAS in 2023 – Roadracing World Magazine

GASGAS is destined for MotoGP™ in 2023

Pol Espargaro to lead rider line-up as iconic motorcycle brand joins premier class

Friday, August 19, 2022

At a special press conference at the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich, GASGAS announced its presence in the MotoGP™ grid from 2023. Piet Byrer, GASGAS Motorsport Director, and Hubert Trunkenpolz, Executive Board Member; CMO, was joined at the event by Tech3 Factory Racing Team Principal Herve Poncharal.

From 2023, the iconic Spanish motorcycle brand will join MotoGP™ for the first time in a deal that sees the Tech3 Factory Team paint GASGAS red and officially become the GASGAS Factory Racing team. Pol Espargaro will lead the driver line-up with his teammate to be announced shortly.

GASGAS rose to prominence in trials and enduro before finding even greater success in motocross, supercross and rallying in recent years with a comprehensive off-road motorcycle manufacturing base. 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™.

GASGAS’ iconic red and white livery will represent the sixth brand in the premier class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing.

QUOTATIONS

PETE BEIRER, DIRECTOR OF GASGAS MOTORSPORTS

“GASGAS is a winning brand. It immediately achieved incredible levels of performance in disciplines such as MXGP, Supercross, Enduro and Rally, where we took Grand Prix, Main Events, World titles and overall winners trophies. This is a relatively new brand for us and we have new goals. We hope that the fans who follow “Red” will enjoy the story. Thanks to our strong partner, the ASPAR team, in Moto3 and Moto2 we were able to see GASGAS bikes at the front of these categories. It would be great to see the same in the toughest class of all. I want to thank Hervé and the Tech3 factory race team for their dedication and true support of this change to become a GASGAS factory race team. We think it’s interesting and different.”

HUBERT TRUKENPOLZ, EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER, CMO

“Expanding the GASGAS name beyond its Trial roots has been really successful in many ways. After we saw what we could achieve in Moto3 and Moto2, the next question was whether we could take GASGAS to MotoGP and we are very happy to be able to take this step. This is a new journey and I know the brand will stand out right away. The important thing is that the team, riders, management will help GASGAS make a splash in the premier class. That’s what we’re counting on!”

HERVÉ PONCHARAL, TEAM MANAGER TECH3 FACTORY RACING

“Since we joined Pierer Mobility Group, I can tell you that these have been the happiest professional years of my life. Because when you work with Stefan, when you work with Hubert and when you work with Pete, of course the aim and the main thing is to compete, but I also like to spend evenings with these gentlemen to talk about business, to talk about strategy , to see how our motorcycle industry is evolving. I am very, very happy to be part of a European manufacturer and all European manufacturers are moving on; every Sunday on the MotoGP™ podium we see more and more of them. It is a great honor to be a full GASGAS factory team.

“If you remember well, a few years ago there was a young man, a Moto2 world champion, who joined the MotoGP class with Tech3. His name is Paul Espargaro. We had some great years together when we started, we discovered the MotoGP class together and I’ve always said that Paul is a real fighter, Paul was a key player in the Pierer Mobility KTM MotoGP program and I’m happy to announce he’s back in family. We can’t wait to start working with him and I think he will be the perfect ambassador for the GASGAS brand. So it’s like a fairy tale; Welcome Paul. It is also Stephan, Hubert and Pete to say more than me, but in any case, I am not able and I think that this GASGAS MotoGP project cannot start better than with Pol. So this is fantastic news and I just can’t wait for November to arrive!

“I just feel happy, I just love challenges. That’s why I’m here, and racing is about challenges – industry challenges, business challenges – and I’m really excited to be a part of this new challenge.”

More from the GASGAS Factory Racing press release:

PUT ON THE GAS! GASGAS KIT FOR 2023 MOTOGP™

GASGAS has always been about stepping on the gas for fun, but now the throttle handle feels different, the pace is faster and the stakes are higher.

From 2023, the iconic Spanish motorcycle brand will join MotoGP’s infamy for the first time in a deal that will see the Tech3 Factory Team livery in crimson red. The renowned race-winning crew will be equipped with GASGAS MotoGP technology and put the machinery in the hands of Pol Espargar for the Grand Prix Series to run around the world, with a second rider to be confirmed shortly.

Competition – and all the thrill and excitement that comes from racing – is part of the soul of GASGAS. The company, created in the 1980s, celebrated the joy and excitement that a motorcycle brings: everything that is bold, capable, bright, attractive. Glory in trials and enduro quickly turned to success in motocross, supercross and rally in recent years with a comprehensive base of production off-road bikes, and now – after a taste in the Moto3™ and Moto2™ classes – the brand is ready for the next frontier; the pinnacle of road racing.

GASGAS want to take their young, fresh and hot vibe to the highest level, and that meant transforming the Tech3 Factory Racing team’s goals for 2023. The decorated outfit and Paul Espargaro will be a new and welcome member of the GASGAS family. The popular 31-year-old also links up some of GASGAS’s Iberian heritage for their first tilt at MotoGP.

The distinctive red and white livery will go faster than ever thanks to the new GASGAS MotoGP pioneer. The marque will become MotoGP’s sixth brand in 2023, but has already increased its presence with Grand Prix wins and podium finishes in Moto3 and Moto2 over the past two seasons thanks to the excellence of the GASGAS Aspar team.

Pete Behrer, GASGAS Motorsport Director: “GASGAS is a winning brand. It immediately achieved incredible levels of performance in disciplines such as MXGP, Supercross, Enduro and Rally, where we took Grand Prix, Main Events, World titles and overall winners trophies. This is a relatively new brand for us and we have new goals. We hope that the fans who follow “Red” will enjoy the story. Thanks to our strong partner, the ASPAR team, in Moto3 and Moto2 we were able to see GASGAS bikes at the front of these categories. It would be great to see the same in the toughest class of all. I want to thank Hervé and the Tech3 factory race team for their dedication and true support of this change to become a GASGAS factory race team. We think it’s interesting and different.”

Hubert Trunkenpolz, Member of the Executive Board, CMO: “Expanding the GASGAS name beyond its Trial roots has been really successful in many ways. After we saw what we could achieve in Moto3 and Moto2, the next question was whether we could take GASGAS to MotoGP and we are very happy to be able to take this step. This is a new journey and I know the brand will stand out right away. The important thing is that the team, riders, management will help GASGAS make a splash in the premier class. That’s what we’re counting on!”