Repsol Honda announces 2013 line-up

"To reach MotoGP next season with Repsol Honda is a dream come true and I want to thank HRC for their confidence in me" - Marc Marquez.
Stoner, MotoGP, German MotoGP 2012
Stoner, MotoGP, German MotoGP 2012
© Gold and Goose

Repsol Honda has officially confirmed that retiring champion Casey Stoner will be replaced by rooki🐎e Marc Marquez, with fellow Spaniard Dani Pedrosa retained to ride alongside him for the next two years.

Following Stoner's shock announcement a♒t Le Mans, Honda initially made a bid for Jorge Lorenzo, but were unable to prevent the 2012 title leader from re-signing with Yamaha.

Keeping Pedrosa then became HRC's stated priority and terms were said to ha✅ve been agreed even before Pedrosa won his first race of the season last Sunday in Germany.

"I'm ver♒y happy to be able to announce😼 my renewal with the Repsol Honda Team for the next two years. It's been a very long relationship with Honda and I had a strong desire to stay here," said Pedrosa.

"The fight for the Championship this year is still open and the next two seasons will༒ be very interesting for me. My whole𝐆 career has been linked to Honda, since I entered into the World Championship in 125cc, then in 250cc and since 2006 in MotoGP.

"I'm perhaps one of the riders with the longest history with Honda, which makes me feel very proud. I want to thank HRC once again for their support; I'm sure that w🙈e have great things to do together".

Pedrosa's victory, combined with Stoner's last l♈ap Sachsenring fall, means the Spaniard has moved into second in the world championship, 14 points from compatriot Lorenzo headin🃏g into this weekend's Mugello round.

Joining Pedrosa on the official RC213Vs next year will be former 125cc world champion and current Moto2 title leader Marquez🐈.

Marquez's path straight int🃏o the factory team has been cleared by the recent removal of the ♌'Rookie Rule', which had forced all new riders to spend their first MotoGP season at a satellite team.

"To reach MotoGP next season with Repsol Honda is a dream come true and I want to thank HRC for their confidence💝 in me," said the 19-year-old, whose aggressive on-track style has resulted in several vis⭕its to Race Direction.

"I am very prou♍d to be a part of the big Honda family for the future and I don't want to forget all the people have helped me since I began to ride motorbikes.

"Now my focus is on Moto2 where my team and I are working very hard and we are excited to achieveไ our goal, which is to win the World Championship in 2012."

The Pedrosa-Marquez line-up officiallꦡy ends any chance that s⛦even time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi could make a return to the team.

Stoner's shock exit plans initially 𒁃prompted 'anything could happen' responses from Honda regarding Rossi, but these were soon watered♉ down to only a possible satellite team ride.

Rossi insists no conꦆtact has been made and he is looking ever more likely to re-sign for Ducati, despite just two podiums since leaving Yamaha⭕ at the end of 2010, although a theoretical chance of re-joining Lorenzo on a Factory YZR-M1 remains.

Stoner was world champion wit♉h Ducati in 2007 and then in his debut season at Repsol Honda in 2011. The 26-year-old has taken♛ 36 race victories since 2007, more than any other rider.

HRC Executive Vice President Shuhei Nakamoto sa🅺id of his future team line-up:

"We are very pleased to renew our contract with Dani and welcome Marc to the Repsol Honda Team. Dani is enjoying a v🧸ery strong season and currently fighting with Casey a꧋nd Lorenzo for the Championship, we are very pleased with his performance.

"Marc has already proved how fast he is in 125cc and Moto2, and we believꦰe that, giving him the right time to adapt to the new class, he will also be able to show this in MotoGP in the future."

Pedrosa and Marquez join Lorenzo, Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda) and Bradley Smith (Tech 3 Yamaha) in having signed for the ♎2013 Mo🔯toGP season.

This week⛄end's Italian Grand Prix is round nine of 1𝕴8.

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