Darryn Binder will make the sizeable leap from Moto3 straight into MotoGP next season after securing his place on the grid with the RNF Racing Yamaha team.
The South African - younger brother of KTM Factory rider Brad Binder - has been linked with the shock move, which will see him eschew the conventional path via Moto2, for some weeks but only now has it been made official.
He joins the soon-to-be-rebranded RNF Racing - currently competing under the Petronas SRT moniker - alongside the already confirmed Andrea Dovizioso, giving the Malaysian-flagged outfit two riders with vastly different experience levels in GP racing.
While the likes of Joan Mir and Maverick Vinales have previously reached MotoGP after just a single season in Moto2, this is only the second time a rider has leapt from Moto3 directly into MotoGP.
The first was Jack Miller, though even if he was given a bridging option of riding the CRT-spec LCR Honda when he made his double division graduation.
Despite this, Binder - who has won just a single Moto3 race in seven seasons of competition - insists he is ready for the unprecedented leap.
“I‘m extremely grateful for this opportunity, as it has been a lifelong dream to race in the MotoGP category," Binder said. "I definitely didn‘t expect to make the jump straight from Moto3 to the highest class, but I do believe I‘m up for the challenge, and I‘m ready to put in all the hard work for 2022.
“My target at the beginning will be just to find my feet in the big class and learn as much as possible to get stronger and stronger throughout my rookie season.
“I would like to say a really big ’Thank you‘ to Yamaha and the RNF MotoGP Team for everything they have done to make this possible as well as everyone who has been involved in getting me to this point.
“I‘m now just looking forward to riding the Yamaha YZR-M1 for the first time at the end of this season.”
