Petronas withdraws Sepang Racing Team sponsorship

Petronas withdraws Sepang Racing Team sponsorship

After six years of sponsoring teams in MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3, it appears national oil company Petronas will be withdrawing its sponsorship of Sepang Racing Team (SRT). From a motorsport.com report, Petronas will no longer support SRT’s racing efforts, with SRT concentrating instead on the MotoGP team.

However, despite a stunning debut in 2019 and narrowly missing winning the MotoGP world championship with Franco Morbidelli in 2020, SRT found themselves in something of a quandary coming to the close of the 2021 season. Current rider Morbidelli will be promoted to the Yamaha Factory team, replacing Maverick Vinales who rather acrimoniously quit just before the summer break while second rider Valentino Rossi recently announced his retirement from the sport.

Petronas withdraws Sepang Racing Team sponsorship

Meanwhile, Darryn Binder, riding for SRT under the Petronas Sprinta Racing banner in Moto3, is tipped to make the jump directly to the MotoGP class. However, Raul Fernandez, who did express interest in joining SRT, is still locked into a KTM contract which gives him a path to the KTM Tech3 MotoGP team under Herve Poncheral.

From the report, Yamaha has offered SRT two ‘B’ MotoGP race bikes, effectively with technology two or three season behind, as opposed to the full works YZR-M1 and the ‘A’ bike ridden by Quartararo in the 2020 season. paultan.org has reached out to both Petronas and SRT for confirmation and will update this article if details are received.

Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.

10% discount when you renew your car insurance

Compare prices between different insurer providers and use the promo code 'PAULTAN10' when you make your payment to save the most on your car insurance renewal compared to other competing services.

Car Insurance

Mohan K Ramanujam

Coming with diverse and extensive experience in heavy engineering, Mohan enjoys making anything with wheels go fast, especially motorcycles. His weapon of choice is the Desmoquattro engine, and he has a penchant for anything with a dash of Italian design. Strangely enough, he insists he's a slow rider.

 

Comments

  • donno on Aug 13, 2021 at 10:15 am

    So no thank you to me for the heads up?

    Anyway, wrong understanding of the article, Mohan.

    Petronas is pulling the sponsorship of SRT as a whole starting next year.

    Because of this, SRT will shut down its Moto3 and Moto2 effort to concentrate on just the MotoGP team as the budget has been severely diminished.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 3
  • donno on Aug 13, 2021 at 10:17 am

    Another wrong info.

    Morbidelli has never ridden A spec Yamaha bike. Always B spec including this year.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 2
  • Brian on Aug 13, 2021 at 10:57 am

    If SRT takes Yamaha offer, they are clearly stupid. Using B bikes next year, they are effectively using bikes in 2022 season technologically ‘older’ than the bikes used in this year’s competition.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • SRT should dump Yamaha for giving them A or B spec bike!. SRT should go to Suzuki as 2nd private team.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1
  • Tutup kedai last. 2-3yr old spec m1, buang masa makan asap.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • Datuk Razlan....How about that...??? on Aug 13, 2021 at 2:26 pm

    Some will say padan muka to SRT, because in the year 2021, there was no Malaysian rider entered, either in Moto3, Moto2 and of course in MotoGP…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 2
  • the driver on Aug 13, 2021 at 2:57 pm

    Agreed with all the comments above – SRT got shafted by Yamaha full stop. A suggestion perhaps? Enter the more realistic but cheaper and more competitive racing of World Superbikes. Motogp is starting to look like a manufacturers’ racing ground, where only the works’ teams get the best and everyone gets second best.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • yamaha trying to short change SRT!
    make no sense for Petronas to continue sponsor
    better PETRONAS/SRT JV with Suzuki as factory team

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Hafiizh on Aug 13, 2021 at 4:12 pm

    But why,they only want to concentrate on F1? what happen if Max win the championship, they going to leave merc team also ?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • DavoB on Aug 13, 2021 at 10:28 pm

    SRT should get Shell Malaysia as their sponsor.
    Shell is also the Malaysian MotoGP’s title sponsor, so would make sense. A yellow and white bike would look different than others.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • That will never happen. Petronas’s participation in sponsoring SRT was partly due to political pressure. Shell on the other hand will only be interested in manufacturers and the sponsorship is tied to a factory deal and as the official lubricants partner to Ducati. SRT Is not a manufacturer.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

Add a comment

required

required