Malaguti signs up as 125cc manufacturer.

Italian scooter company Malaguti will join fellow motorcycle manufacturer KTM in entering a two-rider team to take on the established factories in the 2003 125cc World Championship.

The Bologna based company have joined with the Semprucci team, which this year ran Hondas for Imre Toth and Nobby Ueda.

Ex-Telefonica Movistar Honda wild-card Julian Simon has been named on the provisional entry list as one of the team's 2003 riders, alongside Italian rookie Fabrizio Lai.

Simon ended his debut season with two points to his credit, claimed by a fourteenth placed finish at the Portuguese Grand Prix.

The 125cc class will now feature a minimum of six manufacturers in 2003, with Honda, Aprilia, Derbi, Gilera, KTM and Malaguti all confirmed, while Italjet's GP future remains undecided.

KTM have signed an impressive rider line-up of 2000 125cc champion Roberto Locatelli and this season's eighth litre victor Arnaud Vincent to race the Harald Bartol tuned machines, while ex-Team Suzuki man Warren Willing will help run the Red Bull sponsored team.