VR46

Mooney, an Italian banking and payments company, will be the new MotoGP and Moto2 title sponsor. VR46 has announced that Italian ‘Proximity Banking & Payments business’ Mooney will be its new headline sponsor, seemingly abandoning the long-delayed Aramco deal. Mooney will support both Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi’s new MotoGP project as well as Celestino Vietti and Niccolo Antonelli’s existing Moto2 outfit. A statement from VR46 read, “Following the agreement, the new team naming will be Mooney VR46 Racing Team and will be used in all images of the Team (including bikes and rider suits) and in all official communications. Further information will be revealed on January 3rd.” The agreement appears to put an end to a long-running issue with Aramco, which began with a news release in April announcing the company’s intentions. “In 2022 the VR46 Team will debut in the MotoGP class together with Tanal Entertainment Sport & Media with Saudi Aramco, as the new Main Sponsor for the period 2022-2026.” HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud announced in June when VR46 sealed a deal for Ducati motorcycles. “It would be fantastic for me if Valentino Rossi could compete in the next few years as a rider in our Aramco Racing Team VR46 together with his brother Luca Marini.” Rossi, on the other hand, chose to retire, and questions about the transaction persisted, with team manager Pablo Nieto subsequently admitting “Things are moving at a snail’s pace… [With the Aramco agreement], there are certain delays, but we are on our way and must keep working.” The Aramco name was then missing from the provisional 2022 entry lists, which were released in mid-November. Marini will race 2022-spec Ducatis, while Bezzecchi will race 2021-spec Ducatis.