SATELLITE Yamaha squad Tech 3 has nurtured riders in their debut into MotoGP, a position that the manufacturer uses to invest in its rookie racers.
As Colin Edwards reaches the twilight of his racing career, the American may no longer feature in Yamaha's GP plans as they look to the future and a replacement for the Texan.
The first rider mentioned as a hopeful was Moto2 championship leader, Stefan Bradl. The German has become desirible to Lin Jarvis, as the Yamaha boss stated that Bradl was an 'interesting rider and Germany an important market'.
However Bradl is also under the watchful eye of the Kiefer outfit as his current employer is aiming to continue its relationship with the Moto2 championship leader in his progression to the premier class, as they hope to secure a Honda RC213V to persuade him to stay or try to keep him on board with a CRT bike. Perhaps a deal can be struck for an extra Yamaha, so to please Lin Jarvis.
After the downfall of the Yamaha World Superbike team, another rider who has become attached to the French Tech 3 squad is Eugene Laverty. The Irishman left the Grand Prix scene after struggling on a privateer Honda RS250, now Laverty has become a part of the Yamaha family. The past two riders to ride under the blue banner, Ben Spies and Cal Crutchlow, have switched to MotoGP with the Tech 3 team - something that Eugene acknowledges having admitted his aim for returning to the GP circus, following in the footsteps of Ben Spies.
Another prospect comes from within the Tech 3 family, as current Moto2 rider Bradley Smith, writing in his column, revealed that he is being considered for the MotoGP team. Smith has displayed promise in his performances in his rookie Moto2 campaign, scoring podium finishes and finishing amongst the sharp-end of order. The Briton's riding hasn't gone unnoticed from his boss, Herve Poncheral.
On the other hand, this could become worrying news for Cal. He has the security of a contract with Tech 3 for next season, but a rumoured option could see the Coventry rider swapped with Smith and dropped to Moto2, to rebuild the confidence lost in successive crashes.
