Matthew Birt · @birtymotogp
22nd Sep 2014 from TwitLonger
Tech 3 denying making Yamaha MotoGP offer to Alex Rins
Tech 3 Yamaha boss Herve Poncharal has rubbished claims by Alex Rins that the Spanish teenager turned down the chance to replace Bradley Smith on a factory-backed YZR-M1 in 2015.
Rins confirmed in Misano recently he would be switching to Moto2 next season, having clinched a deal to replace Suzuki-bound Maverick Vinales in the Pons squad.
Prior to finalising his 2015 future, Rins had suggested he’d rejected an offer to join compatriot Pol Espargaro at Tech 3 next season.
That has been denied by Poncharal, who said he never submitted a formal proposal to Rins, who currently sits 20-points off Moto3 world championship leader Jack Miller with five races remaining after he took a dramatic last lap win in Misano.
Poncharal told MCN: “I have always been a big fan of Alex Rins. I like him as a rider and as a person off the track. But I didn’t really understand what he has been saying about talks with Yamaha. I simply asked him if he would like to come to us in Moto2 and he said yes, but he wanted a Kalex frame and the answer was obviously no, as we will remain with our own chassis. After Assen and Sachsenring and I made a list of a few names about 2015 for MotoGP. One of them was Jack (Miller) and Bradley was obviously on the list and one of the names was Alex. I rang him and asked him what he thought if he would be offered a MotoGP deal for next year and would he take it? That was me asking and not Yamaha and it was never Yamaha. It was Herve Poncharal and Tech 3 and the answer was no, which I understand. Then I read in the Spanish media in Brno that Alex thought it was crazy to move and he would never make the jump. It said Yamaha contacted him and as I said, Lin Jarvis never contacted Alex. I did it through his father and I never made him an offer. It was just asking about what he thought and maybe he would never have been made an official offer. I think he has tried to use that to have the media talking about him. I can’t let anybody say that Yamaha contacted him directly because he was never offered a MotoGP deal.”