The Finn’s 125cc team structure will have five riders competing in two groups in the 2011 World Championship, with a view to the introduction of the new Moto3 category in 2012.
Aki Ajo’s project for the final season of the 125cc category is an enterprising one. The Finn is fielding five riders under his team structure for the 2011 campaign with Efrén Vázquez, Johann Zarco (both riding under the Ajo Motorsport banner) and Zulfahmi Khairuddin (AirAsia-SIC-Ajo) forming one branch and Red Bull MotoGP Academy graduates Jonas Folger and Danny Kent (Red Bull Ajo Motorsport) a second ‘group’.
“We needed a new challenge. We were World Champions last year with Marc Márquez and also in 2008 (with Mike di Meglio), and while we know it’s hard to repeat that we feel we are ready for this next test,” Ajo told motogp.com. “Especially with the Moto3 class coming in 2012 I think it’s even better we have two teams. Maybe in the future we’ll have a factory team and a junior team, so what we’re building now with two teams is a little bit like an investment for the future.”
Vázquez, Zarco and Folger will campaign Derbi RSA machines this year, with Zulfahmi and rookie Kent on RSW bikes. Speaking about expectations for the season, Ajo continued: “In our three-rider team Efrén Vázquez and Johann Zarco are both quite experienced, and Efrén has already been on the podium a few times. I feel Johann is ready to be there in the future.”
“I think Efrén, as the most experienced, his target is to push really hard and see if he has a chance to fight for the title. Our third rider, Zulfahmi, I have met many times during the winter and he is a very hungry young sportsman but with less experience, so for him I think it is the next step – to join our group so that he can learn and improve even more.”
“In the Red Bull team it’s a new project with the aim of building the futures of these young riders, who have been in the Red Bull programme in the past. I think Jonas and Danny are very talented riders, everyone has seen this. I think Jonas is looking for podiums, and Danny had some very good races on the Lambretta at the end of last season so he’ll look to increase his experience.”
Plans are already afoot for the arrival of the new Moto3 class, as mentioned earlier by Ajo, with early negotiations with a number of potential partners in progress.
“We are talking with many companies at the moment and we really want to be ready early and in time for Moto3, so we are working on that side. During the summer we will finalise our plans for 2012,” he concluded.
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