It’s a story that has seemingly endured plenty of twists and turns since the initial announcement of the VR46 Racing Team, and it appears the title sponsor of the newest team on the MotoGP (& Moto2) paddock will be Mooney financial services.
The initial title sponsor for the team was Aramco, ’revealed’ back in April via a press release, but the Saudi oil sheikhs appeared to be dragging their heels on finalising a deal - and Valentino Rossi has now opted for the Italian Financial Services provider (or, ‘proximity banking and payments company’) instead.
This makes the new team name officially the “Mooney VR46 Racing Team”, bearing the name of the supposed market leader in Italian banking on the Ducati machinery and racing leathers.
Tests back in November at Jerez had the VR46 team riding without a title sponsor brandishing their team, and that ‘your brand here’ space on the bikes has clearly turned the heads of the Mooney CEO, Emilio Petrone.
"Linking the name of Mooney to such a prestigious brand as VR46 Racing Team is a real declaration of intent for our company which confirms itself as a protagonist in the field of payments and mobility services,"
Mooney VR46 Racing Team for 2022
"Speed, safety, innovation and the ability to adapt to the constantly evolving customer needs are common values shared by Mooney and VR46 Racing Team, which brings the Italian excellence, talent and technology around the world in some of the most competitive contexts of the sport."
With the ink still drying on the dotted line, the VR46 team has finally got the big hurdle out of the way, and Luca Marini with rookie Bezzecchi will be riding 2022 & 2021 Ducati machinery respectively.
