Moto2 pre-season news special

Eventful afternoon in the Moto2 pre-season with a change of riders that leaves Ricky Cardús at Arguiñano Racing, for now leaving Kenny Noyes without a seat

By David Gómez1 February 2012 · 2 min read

While the MotoGP teams are training in Malaysia ahead of the season that is about to begin, and some of the Moto3 and CRT riders are in Valencia, the transfer market remains open and continues to generate news.

Riders changing bikes, being left without one for the time being, or being confirmed is the essence of pre-season, but today several special circumstances have arisen in the Moto2 category. With an almost confirmed entry list, the announcements came thick and fast through the mid-afternoon.

The first came from the QMMF team, which confirmed Elena Rosell and Damian Cudlin as riders for the full championship, causing a small domino effect across several teams. The rider from Manises thereby became the first Spanish woman to contest a full season in the Motorcycle World Championship:

I am very happy. Being able to do the whole Moto2 World Championship season is a dream come true, and I want to thank QMMF for trusting me. Everything is happening very quickly. Three years ago I was racing in the Kawasaki Ninja Cup, two years ago in the CEV, and last year I did two wild-card entries in the Moto2 World Championship.

This year will be very difficult for me, as everything is new and I have a lot to learn. The start of the season will be the hardest part, but I don’t mind because I am used to working very hard to achieve things.

The QMMF announcement raised a question. And Ricky Cardús? The Catalan had been registered with Elena at that team, but this time it was a tweet that cleared up the doubt. It was Kenny Noyes who, at around 18:00, published the following:

I confirm that I will not race with Arguiñano. Despite having an agreement with them since November, they have backed out.

And to the question from some fans asking whether he had a team, he said that in November he did, but now, logically, he doesn’t. And meanwhile, Arguiñano Racing confirmed Ricky Cardús as the team’s new rider for the Moto2 World Championship.

This is basically the latest from this crazy category, but surely before the lights go out in Qatar we will have some more surprises. And we will be here to keep you updated.

Photos | motogp.com