MotoGP Drops CryptoDATA RNF Team From 2024 Season Over Repeated Infractions

The MotoGP selection committee has rejected the CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team’s participation in the 2024 season after “repeated infractions and breaches of the participation agreement.” The selection committee comprising members of the FIM, IRTA and Dorna Sports announced the decision on November 27, 2023, and also said that the organisers will be selecting a new independent team soon.

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The CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team was a satellite team to Aprilia with Miguel Oliveira, Raul Fernandez, and Lorenzo Savadori as its riders. The team had previously issued a statement during the Valencia Grand Prix weekend denying its place on the grid next season due to financial issues, while team principal Razlan Razali was stepping down from the team due to poor financial decisions. It was also accused of owing money to suppliers including Aprilia and said that it had a contract in place until 2026. The announcement was made just prior to the first pre-season test at Circuit Ricardo Tormo for 2024.

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A statement from MotoGP read, “The MotoGP Selection Committee, comprising members of FIM, IRTA and Dorna Sports, have decided not to select the CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team for the 2024 season. Repeated infractions and breaches of the Participation Agreement affecting the public image of MotoGP have obliged this decision. The selection committee will be reviewing applications for a new Independent Team, using Aprilia machinery, to join the MotoGP class grid for 2024.”

The CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team was formed at the end of 2021, following Petronas and the Sepang Racing Team’s (SRT) decision to quit MotoGP at the end of the season that year. Razali, the former SRT team boss and owner of RNF, created the new team, arriving on the 2022 grid in partnership with Yamaha before switching to Aprilia in 2023.

The 2023 season also saw Razali sell a majority stake in his team to the Romanian company CryptoDATA, who took on a title partnership. CryptoDATA RNF, however, underperformed over the last two seasons. The team finished 11th out of 12 in the constructors’ standings in 2022 and moved up to eighth out of 11 teams this year. A new independent team will be announced shortly, which will be using Aprilia bikes next season.