Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd. was announced as the exclusive motorcycle supplier for the FIM Moto3 World Championship starting with the 2028 season through 2033, officials said Friday at the Dutch Grand Prix in Assen. The move will make Moto3 a single-bike class, with Yamaha providing both engine and chassis to all teams as part of a new long-term project to develop the next generation of Grand Prix racing.
Under the agreement announced June 25, 2026, at the Dutch Grand Prix in Assen, Yamaha will supply the complete motorcycle—including engine and chassis—to all teams competing in the Moto3 World Championship from the 2028 season through 2033, according to officials from MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group and Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd. This marks a significant shift from the current multi-manufacturer format, with Yamaha becoming the exclusive supplier and effectively transforming Moto3 into a single-bike class, officials said.
The engine will deliver approximately 90 horsepower and the bike will have a minimum weight of 120 kilograms, exceeding the performance specifications of current Moto3 motorcycles.
The new Yamaha Moto3 machine will be a purpose-built racing prototype based on a highly modified version of Yamaha’s CP2 engine platform, which is used in the YZF-R7 family of production motorcycles. According to MotoGP and Yamaha representatives, the engine will deliver approximately 90 horsepower and the bike will have a minimum weight of 120 kilograms, exceeding the performance specifications of current Moto3 motorcycles. The engine core architecture is reported to be a 689 cc inline twin derived from the YZF-R7, but substantially redesigned for Grand Prix competition. Yamaha will also be responsible for designing the prototype chassis, confirming that the bike will not be a lightly modified production model.
The announcement follows a competitive tender process managed by Dorna Sports, the commercial rights holder for MotoGP, which attracted multiple bids before Yamaha was selected as the winner. MotoGP officials described the project as a “next generation of Grand Prix racing” initiative aimed at both cost reduction and performance improvement. Carlos Ezpeleta, MotoGP’s chief sporting officer, stated that one of the primary motivations for the switch to a one-make Yamaha supply is to reduce team budgets and make the junior category more sustainable financially.
Cost analyses cited in internal briefings suggest the new Yamaha Moto3 bike will be priced around €50,000 per complete unit, a significant reduction compared to current estimated costs of up to €170,000 for existing machinery supplied by multiple manufacturers, including Honda and KTM. The single-supplier model is expected to lower development and parts supply expenses by standardizing equipment across the grid, according to MotoGP sources.
The transition to Yamaha machinery will require all Moto3 teams to adopt the new bikes for the 2028 season, effectively ending approximately 14 years of Honda and KTM dominance in the class, records show. Teams will need to manage the logistical and technical transition during the 2027–2028 off-season, adapting their operations to Yamaha’s platform. MotoGP officials noted that the move will shift competition focus from hardware diversity to rider skill, team setup, and development.
In addition to the Moto3 World Championship, the Yamaha supply agreement extends to the JuniorGP Moto3 category starting in 2029. This lower-spec version of the Yamaha prototype will be integrated into the MotoJunior structure, aligning the feeder series with the world championship’s machinery and supporting a unified rider development pathway. MotoGP and Yamaha officials emphasized that the initiative is part of a broader ecosystem designed to identify, prepare, and promote young riders toward higher classes such as Moto2 and MotoGP.
Yamaha and MotoGP have outlined a development and testing timeline that begins in 2026. Prototype testing is scheduled for late 2026, with the first on-track test expected in September or October, according to reports from Crash.net. The new bike’s public unveiling is planned for 2027, followed by a phased release of technical details and visuals ahead of full grid deployment in 2028.
The move to a single supplier represents a strategic realignment of the Moto3 category’s technical regulations and competitive structure. Officials from MotoGP described the change as inaugurating a “new Moto3 era” with a standardized technical base across all teams. Existing manufacturers that currently supply Moto3 machinery are expected to withdraw from the class as suppliers once the Yamaha contract takes effect.
Discussions are ongoing with other regional championships to adopt Yamaha-based machinery, aiming to create a consistent platform for young riders worldwide. MotoGP officials said this alignment will help streamline talent identification and development, linking the junior categories to the premier Grand Prix classes through a common technical and competitive framework.
