SRT entered Moto3 Grand Prix racing in 2015 and expanded into Moto2 through 2018 before advancing to MotoGP as a Yamaha satellite team in 2019.
With factory support for Franco Morbidelli in 2019, Fabio Quartararo in 2020 and Valentino Rossi in 2021, SRT forged closer ties with Yamaha in terms of factory support than the previous Tech3 squad.
During his tenure, SRT won six MotoGP Grand Prix, with Franco Morbidelli finishing second in the championship as the best Yamaha rider in 2020.
During the Austrian GP, title sponsor Petronas announced his retirement at the end of the year, Motorsport.com reported that the Moto2 and Moto3 teams would be canceled.
Now SRT has announced that it will no longer exist in all three classes from 2022. A new unit led by Team Principal Razlan Razali and Team Director Johan Stigefelt will be announced during the San Marino GP weekend.
In a statement, Razali said: “We have had a remarkable journey in the past few years.
“From a small start in 2015, 2018 was a big step for us when we secured entry into the premier class of MotoGP and built a MotoGP squad from the ground up.
“In 2019 we were on the starting grid and were only in the front row for four races in our rookie season.
“We were on the podium in the seventh race. In 2020, we secured the first race win for a Yamaha MotoGP satellite team in over 20 years and finished second in the overall team and driver standings.
Valentino Rossi, Petronas Yamaha SRT
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“In 2021 we drove with the greatest driver of all time, Valentino Rossi. This is an incredible story.
“The team will contest its last race in Valencia and we would like to thank all of our crew, drivers, fans and partners for their support.
“In particular, we would like to thank Petronas, with whom none of this would have been possible.
“Together we brought the Petronas brand and Malaysian expertise to the top of the grid, achieving unparalleled brand exposure and coverage, and exponentially exceeding all expectations.
“We also thank Sepang International Circuit for their vision and support for emerging Malaysian talent over the long term.
“Our collective dream was to have a Malaysian rider fighting for podium places in the MotoGP World Championship.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to do that in the short time our squad took, but we can look back on enormous successes with every other measure.
“Our last season is not over yet and we continue to strive for the best possible results in all three classes. Thank you all.”
Interestingly, SRT’s team manager Wilco Zeelenberg’s name has not been linked to the new unit for 2022.
The new entity emerging from SRT is believed to be supported by WithU, which will reinforce its commitment to title sponsorship status.
Fifteen-time MotoGP race winner Andrea Dovizioso has been linked with the completion of the 2021 season with SRT in place of Morbidelli, who is promoted to the factory squad to take Maverick Vinales’ place before a full-time bow in 2022.
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