Luis Salom and Maverick Vinales will move up to the Moto2 class together after signing two year contracts to ride for the Tuenti HP 40 team. The Spaniards are currently contesting the Moto3 title with Salom 26 points ahead of Vinales but the pair will be teammates next season in the intermediate class, replacing MotoGP-bound Pol Espargaro and Esteve Rabat who will take Scott Redding’s seat at Marc VDS Racing.
Salom already has six victories to his name in the current campaign but with such a tough challenge lying ahead of him, the 22 year old feels he is in the perfect team to take it on.
“For me it’s a great honour that Sito Pons gives me the opportunity to ride for his team in the demanding Moto2 category. From the beginning I’ve been clear that if a top Spanish team was willing to take a chance on me then they’d be my first choice. I am convinced that with Sito and his technical team I will be able to work to settle into the new class as quickly as possible, and I will put in every effort to meet the expectations that Pons Racing will have of me. For now I have to keep riding hard and aim to end this season a little better than last year.”
18 year old Vinales is confident his style will ensure he is successful in Moto2 and is now looking to ensure he graduates as a world champion.
“Joining the Pons Team is a great privilege for me, and there’s a responsibility to deliver results like the riders who have gone through the team before me. It motivates me to work and hard and I believe I can become a good Moto2 rider, a category I think my riding can adapt well to. Right now I must concentrate on my fight for the Moto3 world championship. It will be an honour for me to move up to Moto2 and to work with the team with a clear objective of fighting for top honours in 2014.”
