Buzz of excitement on new Malaysian racing outfit

SPECULATION on a new Petronas-Yamaha MotoGP team continues to heat up with many expecting an announcement to be made at the Dutch Motorcycle Grand Prix this weekend.

Jorge Lorenzo, who was previously linked to the new outfit, has since signed for Honda and now fellow Spaniard Dani Pedrosa, whose seat at Honda will be taken by the former next season, is being rumoured to be moving to the new team.

Rookie Franco Morbidelli (Italy), who has yet to secure a ride next year, is tipped to fill the second seat at the Yamaha satellite outfit. The deal with the Japanese manufacturer is possible as Tech3, a partner of Yamaha, will be making a switch to KTM machinery next season.

Sepang International Circuit (SIC) chief executive officer Datuk Razlan Razali, who is believed to be a key figure in setting up the new team, hinted at a ‘historic announcement’ in the pipeline recently.

But he has since kept tight lipped on the topic and today denied Pedrosa’s move to the team.

Razlan is travelling to Assen this weekend to continue negotiations on the new team and could make an announcement if everything falls into place.

Meanwhile, Petronas Sprinta Racing Moto3 rider Adam Norrodin hopes to consolidate in Assen after notching a positive performance in Catalunya earlier this month.

“I’m really looking forward to the Assen race. My confidence came back in Italy and also after making some good progress in Catalunya,” said Adam.

“There are some really fast corners at Assen, which I really like. This is what suits my style a lot. For this race, I will be focusing on riding well and improving my results.”

He is currently 20th in the overall Moto3 standings with 19 points.