LCR Honda current team boss Lucio Cecchinello confirmed Alex Rins, the talented MotoGP rider, has received an exciting offer from Yamaha. The Japanese manufacture want him to join their team for the 2024 season.
Rins will become Fabio Quartararo’s teammate in the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team. This opportunity has come up because Franco Morbidelli’s contract with Yamaha will end after the current MotoGP season.
Before this season, Rins signed a two-year contract with HRC (Honda Racing Corporation). However, he was transferred to LCR Honda Team Castrol.
Unfortunately, the Spaniard had a bad crash in Mugello and is currently recovering from a double leg fracture.
Luckily for Rins, his contract with HRC has a special clause. This clause allows him to terminate the contract early if he receives an offer from a factory team.
“The latter is correct, Alex signed a two-year contract with HRC a year ago (for 2023 and 2024), but he had an option included in his contract to have it terminated early if he received an offer from a factory team.” Cecchinello said.
“There were already attempts by Yamaha to sign Rins last year, but those negotiations were broken off because of Morbidelli. His manager insisted that this option be included in his current contract.” Cecchinello added
Cecchinello hopes that Rins will carefully consider his options and make the best decision for himself.
“He has an offer from Yamaha and his manager is now in talks with both Honda and also Yamaha. This is what I know at the moment, as I am not an interlocutor in these negotiations as Alex is directly under contract with HRC.” Cecchinello said.
“So I don’t have any more information at the moment, I can only say that it would be a shame for us to lose Alex because he is a very good rider.
“Fortunately, he takes the time to think about it carefully and to understand what the best solution is for him personally.” Cecchinello added.
It’s still unclear whether Rins has made a decision yet. One thing is for sure, though – he won’t be participating in the first Grand Prix after the summer break in Silverstone.
His spot will most likely be taken by Iker Lecuona, a fellow Spanish rider and current Team HRC rider in the FIM Superbike World Championship. Losing Rins would be a shame for Cecchinello’s team because he is a very talented rider.
