Mahindra Racing has named an all-new rider line-up of Efren Vazquez and Miguel Oliveira for the 2013 Moto3 season.
After struggling with its own Oral-powered machine in 2012 - which prompted Marcel Schrotter to jump ship mid-season and Danny Webb to sign with WCW for 2013 - Mahindra will join forces with Suter for next year's design.
The team will also move from its current Italian base to Switzerland and introduce a number of new and experienced personnel.
“This is an exciting opportunity,” said 26-year-old Vázquez, a four-time grand prix podium finisher. “Mahindra has shown some real commitment to the sport and I was impressed by their plans. I am looking forward to working with the team and we are aiming to make the new bike into one of the top machines in Moto3.”
“Having an Indian company involved in
MotoGP is great and so I am very pleased to join this project,” added 17-year-old Oliveira, who has taken his first two grand prix podium this year. “Mahindra Racing has enormous support in India and I want to help them achieve their goals. I know there will be challenges ahead, but I am confident and very excited about 2013.”
CEO of Mahindra Racing, Mufaddal Choonia, concluded: “Signing these two riders was very important to us, and I think it is testament to the efforts that we are putting in to our 2013 programme that they wanted to join Mahindra Racing.
“Our plans are coming together well, but we are under no illusion that 2013 will be easy. We have learned some hard lessons this year, and we have a much stronger all-round package in place for the future.”
Vazquez is currently tenth in the championship for the JHK t-shirt Laglisse (FTR Honda) team, with Oliveira seventh for Estrella Galicia 0,0 (Suter Honda).