The Sepang Racing Team made its Grand Prix debut in the Moto3 class in 2015 before expanding into the Moto2 class.
In 2019, it entered the MotoGP as a new satellite partner of Yamaha with the support of Petronas, brought Fabio Quartararo out of Moto2 and signed the Moto2 World Champion of 2017, Franco Morbidelli.
The squad was a breakthrough, Quartararo on a ‘B-spec’ version of the YZR-M1, scoring seven podiums and six pole positions.
The team then won six races in the 2020 season, Quartararo on the factory M1 and Morbidelli on the one-year “A-Spec” motorcycle – the latter finished second in the championship behind Suzuki’s Joan Mir.
SRT always hoped to be a breeding ground for young talent and used its Moto2 and Moto3 projects as a path to the MotoGP team.
This is now likely to only happen for one rider if SRT Moto3 rider Darryn Binder moves straight into MotoGP in 2022, according to rumors.
Darryn Binder, Petronas Sprinta Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
SRT has been faced with a 2022 rider line-up dilemma since Maverick Vinales decided to leave the Yamaha factory team at the end of this season.
PLUS: The driver’s dilemma with Petronas SRT for MotoGP 2022
Yamaha will be promoting Morbidelli to Quartararo next year, while Valentino Rossi’s resignation – announced last Thursday – means SRT will have to find two riders for 2022.
His main choice was Moto2 rookie star Raul Fernandez, who in turn wanted to join SRT because he felt the Yamaha would better suit his driving style.
But Fernandez is bound to a KTM contract for the next two years, with which he will be promoted to the Tech3 roster.
Rossi protégé Marco Bezzecchi was next in line to join SRT, but now he appears to be moving up to MotoGP next year with the VR46 Ducati team alongside Luca Marini.
Autosport has now learned that Petronas plans to pull out of its title partnership with SRT, with the team shedding its Moto2 and Moto3 teams to protect the MotoGP project.
Autosport has also learned that Yamaha has renegotiated its contract with SRT and offered them two “B Spec” M1s – essentially non-works bikes – for 2022.