Moto3™ frontrunner Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0) is set to make the move up to Moto2™ next season, with the Spaniard having signed a deal with Federal Oil Gresini Moto2. The team are title contenders in the intermediate category of the world championship with Sam Lowes in 2016, and have called on the services of Moto3™ title contender Navarro to take the seat as Lowes graduates to MotoGP™ to ride the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini bike.
Navarro's career has seen him move from title contention in the FIM CEV Repsol through to his first taste of the world championship with the Marc VDS team in the latter half of 2014, before the Valencian signed on full-time with Estrella Galicia 0,0 for 2015. Having scored pole positions and podiums, as well as a first win in the Catalan GP earlier in 2016, Navarro is ready for another challenge as he sets his sights on Moto2™.
Jorge Navarro: “I’m very happy and excited to have the opportunity to step up to the intermediate class of the World Championship with the Team Federal Oil Gresini Moto2. It’s an exciting challenge that I face with great enthusiasm. I would like to thank Federal Oil and Fausto Gresini for the trust they put in me, and for giving value to the work I’m currently doing in Moto3. I’m convinced that starting from next year we will do great things together!”
Fausto Gresini, Team Principal: “It’s a great pleasure and pride to be able to continue the important project in the Moto2 World Championship together with Federal Oil, a valuable partner since 2012. Our efforts in recent years led us to become top players in an extremely fought category, as evidenced by the results we are getting with Sam Lowes, currently fighting for the World Title. In 2017 we are determined to remain at the top and consequently, with Lowes who will step up to MotoGP, the choice fell on Jorge Navarro, undoubtedly one of the most interesting young talents of Moto3, with whom we signed a 2-year contract. Navarro proved to learn quickly, becoming a ‘big’ of the smaller displacement: we are convinced that he can fast adapt also to Moto2, a Championship where the level is currently very high. It will be an exciting challenge and we look forward to start working with Jorge, aware that we can offer to him a top team and a strong technical package, thanks to the support of Federal Oil. For this reason we are already organizing some important testing sessions to prepare his debut in the best possible way”.