The Marc VDS team has revealed who will replace its MotoGP-graduating champion Alex Marquez for the 2020 Moto2 World Championship after swooping for Augusto Fernandez from key rivals Pons Racing.
The Spaniard emerged as one of the revelations of the 2019 season after winning three races in his first full season having eschewed the traditional route of rising through the Moto3 ranks.
At one stage positioning himself as an outside title contender with race wins at Assen, Silverstone and Misano, Fernandez ended the season fifth overall.
Having originally re-signed with Pons Racing, Fernandez has instead swapped to Marc VDS for the 2020 season to replace the Repsol Honda MotoGP-bound Marquez. He will look to follow in the wheel-tracks of the Spaniard, Franco Morbidelli and Tito Rabat, who all progressed to MotoGP after winning titles with the Belgian team.
“I'm really happy for the opportunity that Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS has given me to become part of their big family,” he said. “It is a dream come true to continue growing in a great team like this. My objective is to give the maximum and to work very hard to fight for victories and have the opportunity to fight for the world championship.”
The announcement all-but-confirms Johann Zarco will join Avintia Ducati for the 2020 MotoGP season. The Frenchman was the anticipated pick for Marc VDS after Marquez joined Repsol Honda – which effectively gazumped Zarco’s intentions too – but a concerted effort by Dorna and French MotoGP officials to keep him in the top flight will instead see him replace Karel Abraham at Avintia.
Fernandez will be paired with Briton Sam Lowes, the former Aprilia MotoGP rider joining from Gresini as he looks to secure an elusive Moto2 title.
Who is Augusto Fernandez?
It was a question many were asking this year when he won at Assen this year and then followed it up with back-to-back mid-season success at Silverstone and Misano. Even with two rounds out through injury, Fernandez still ended the year top five.
Prior to this season, Fernandez had only had a pair of part-season campaigns under his belt, coming into Pons Racing to replace the ousted Hector Barbera when he was convicted for drink-driving.
Entering via the Spanish-based CEV series, though Fernandez is one of the least experienced riders on the Moto2 grid, at only 22 he has established himself as one of the series’ leading contenders and was always expected to be a title contender at Pons Racing.
With the might of Marc VDS on his side, his odds have just been slashed.
