VDS to
End Moto2
Program After
2026 Season
T
he ELF Marc VDS Racing
Team will close its Moto2
program at the conclusion of the
2026 season, bringing an end to
one of the intermediate class's
most successful operations.
The decision follows the death
of team founder and owner Marc
van der Straten on July 5. The Bel-
gian team is now set to focus its
racing activities on the Superbike
World Championship from 2027,
with Sam Lowes as the sole rider.
Marc VDS has been a fixture in
Grand Prix racing since enter-
ing the inaugural Moto2 World
Championship in 2010 and has
claimed three Moto2 Riders'
Championships, with Tito Rabat
winning in 2014, Franco Mor-
bidelli in 2017 and Alex Marquez
in 2019. The team also com-
peted in MotoGP between 2015-
2018, winning one race with Jack
Miller at Assen in 2016.
The Marc VDS team has also
amassed more than 100 podi-
ums across the World Champi-
onship categories.
The closure means current
riders Aron Canet and Deniz
Oncu will leave the team at the
end of the year. Canet is set to
join Fantic for 2027, while Oncu
will move to the Spanish-Dutch
Momomove RW squad.
Marc VDS had switched from
its long-standing Kalex partnership
to Boscoscuro for 2025 and 2026,
making this season its final Moto2
campaign. The team's Moto2 grid
positions are currently not expect-
ed to be reassigned, reducing the
2027 field by two riders to 28.
CN
VOLUME ISSUE SEPTEMBER , P33
After nearly two
decades in the GP
paddock, the Marc
VDS team will wind
up its operations
at the end of 2026
and focus primarily
on the WorldSBK
Championship.
Tech3 Signs Agius
for MotoGP
T
ech3 announced that 20-year-
old Australian Senna Agius
will join the Red Bull KTM Tech3
team for the 2027 MotoGP
World Championship, making his
premier-class debut. His arrival
will complete Tech3's 2027 rider
lineup alongside Luca Marini.
Guenther Steiner, Tech3 CEO,
said, "We believe Senna has the
qualities to make a strong step
into MotoGP. He has shown
impressive speed and maturity in
Moto2, but what really stood out to
us was his determination to keep
improving and his attitude toward
the work required to succeed."
"A lifelong dream
of mine has come
true: reaching
MotoGP," Agius
said. "So many
years of hard work
have gone into this
moment, and I'm
incredibly grateful to Guenther and
everyone at Tech3 for believing
in me and giving me this opportu-
nity. I can't wait to repay their faith.
I know the challenge ahead, but
I'm ready to learn, work hard, and
become the best version of myself
with this team."
"Starting MotoGP with com-
pletely new regulations and
machinery will be a big challenge
for every rider," Team Manager
Nicolas Goyon said, "but it also
gives us an opportunity to build
something together from the
beginning."
CN
Senna Agius signed with the Red
Bull KTM Tech3 team for the 2027
MotoGP Championship.
