Not only are there five riders set to make their MotoGP™ debuts in 2022 but there's a couple of brand-new teams on the grid as well. One of them is the WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team, with founder and team owner Razlan Razali speaking to motogp.com at the recent Jerez Test about how the outfit was born and what he's hoping to see from his rider line-up next year.
The Malaysian has arguably the most varied line-up on the grid next year as seasoned veteran Andrea Dovizioso, the most-experienced rider on the grid, partners up with rookie and Moto3™ graduate Darryn Binder, probably the least-experienced on the grid. So what sort of challenges will that pose the team?
"Starting with Andrea, he has a lot to prove," said Razali, speaking to motogp.com's Jack Gorst and Simon Crafar. "I think next year he will want to go for it, I don't see the point of him coming back and not trying. With the balance of experience and youth, I think we expect Andrea to do well and to fight for the Championship. On Darryn, obviously, there are five rookies, and the target is for him to be the best rookie. I think that's the best that we can expect and target for him. Let's see, it’s going to be interesting.
"My experience with Andrea is that he's very analytical. He’s very clear in what he wants, the problem with the bikes, hence Yamaha put a lot of emphasis on his comments and feedback. I think [Yamaha] need a different perspective from a different rider, especially an experienced one, and he will contribute to the whole development and also help Darryn at the same time."
Dovizioso will be teaming up with the experienced and knowledgeable Ramon Forcada, whilst Yamaha made the shrewd move to poach former Red Bull KTM Ajo crew chief, Noe Herrera. The Spaniard, fresh from having helped Raul Fernandez to second in the Moto2™ World Championship this year, has been placed in Binder's corner for 2022.
"That’s another big surprise that came to us. We have Noe, who was the crew chief for Raul Fernandez in Moto2, with close to 19 years of experience with a lot of riders. He’s worked with Raul, with Miguel [Oliveira], with Brad Binder, with [Johann] Zarco, so there's something in him. He's able to develop riders to become great riders. We hope that Noe, together with Darryn, can do something to help him out next year.
"We like to do something different, you know, from day one we tried to do it differently. With Fabio, it was a risk in 2019 but we are taking a greater risk with Darryn because he’s from Moto3. If you look at his size, his weight, the disadvantage that he has in Moto3 and the way for him to make up places, to brake hard and to attack, we thought that there was something in him.
"We felt that we needed to give him a chance and try him out. Being an underdog is what we like, you can be full of surprises but, at the same time, it can be bad for us. But that’s what being an underdog is all about."