Valentino Rossi's VR46 MotoGP team confirms a new title sponsor for 2024
The squad, which will again run Marco Bezzecchi and Luca Marini on year-old Desmosedicis next season, will thus become officially known as the 'Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team'.
The initial title partnership deal is for 2024, 2025 and 2026 - meaning it extends beyond the end of the team's current agreement with Ducati, which expires at the conclusion of next year. Yamaha has made no secret that it would like VR46 to become its future satellite team.
“Welcoming Pertamina Lubricants, which for the next three seasons will be the title partner of the VR46 Racing Team, marks in a crucial way the history of our team, an important piece and a further step forward in achieving our goals," said VR46 team director Alessio Salucci.
"We are truly honored to have entered into an agreement with a brand of this kind in the world of motorsport. With this new synergy, we not only share common ambitions, but we combine the two largest and most loyal fan bases in MotoGP. A bridge between the Italian fans and all those who follow us from Indonesia and to whom we hope to give important satisfactions in the future.
"This long-term project between two companies so experienced in the world of motorcycling and competitions, such as VR46 Racing Team and Pertamina Lubricants, aims to bring true passion for this sport from a unique point of view to hundreds of thousands of fans all around the world.
"In 2024, a new era of our history in MotoGP starts, an adventure full of successes, which began only two years ago, and which would not have been possible without the support and participation of a partner like Mooney who I would like to thank personally for mutual trust and respect".
There are rumours that Pertamina, title sponsor of this weekend's Indonesian MotoGP at Mandalika, will also support Rossi's four-wheel racing activities.
In terms of a possible Pertamina VR46 MotoGP livery, these are the colours used by the Pertamina-backed SAG Moto2 squad of Bo Bendsneyder and Taiga Hada:
