Moto3 championship leader Jorge Martin will makes his debut in the Moto2 class next year, after signing a two-year deal to join the Red Bull KTM Ajo squad.
Martin has been a precence in Moto3 since 2015 with the Aspar Mahindra team, before switching to Gresini Honda last season and becoming a frontrunner in the class.
After three wins in this season from the first six races, Martin leads the standings by three points over Prustel GP rider Marco Bezzecchi.
Tipped to step up to Moto2 next year, Martin has been chosen to fill the void left by the Tech3 MotoGP-bound Miguel Oliveira.
“I think this is an important move for my career and I’m really happy to have found this agreement with KTM and Red Bull,” said Martin, who last raced with KTM in the Red Bull Rookies Cup.
“It is such a competitive brand and I already cannot wait to start working this winter to attack next season.
“I want to learn as much as I can in the first year and fight to be at the top in the second. Obviously I have good memories of KTM from the Red Bull Rookies Cup.
“It is important to be together again and I hope we can get the same sort of results we managed last time.”
KTM boss Pit Beirer added: “We are proud and happy to get this rider ‘back’! He was growing up in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup and I think our philosophy is now clear to everybody.
“Having Jorge in Moto2 is another milestone for us because he really is one of the upcoming talents in this paddock; it underlines the effort we are making.
“Together with Aki we are trying to have this combination of experience and adding one of the youngsters in Moto2.
“I think it is important that we have opened a cool line to show how a rider can make steps with us through the categories.
“I’m really happy to have Jorge on our side; he is too strong to be one of our competitors out there.”
Martin is so far the only current Moto3 rider confirmed as moving up to Moto2 next season, while last year's lightweight class champion Joan Mir will progress to MotoGP after signing a two-year deal with Suzuki.
