Johann Zarco’s superb performance to clinch 3rd at Sepang has secured the French star the title of the top Independent rider in 2017 with one race remaining. Zarco has amazed the MotoGP world with his notable performances in his debut season, which he also finished as the Rookie of the Year. Twinned with his rapid teammate Jonas Folger’s highly impressive results, including 2nd at the German GP, Tech3 will finish this truly memorable season as the leading Satellite Team in the Team Standings, amidst stiff competition. Monster Yamaha Tech3 would like to thank all of the sponsors for their support during 2017.


Hervé PONCHARAL - Team manager

“2017 was definitely an incredible season for the Monster Yamaha Tech3 team. Although we started the year with two rookies, we were confident that they could do well, yet, everything has gone beyond our expectations. The first and main target for both Johann and Jonas was to win the Rookie of the Year title. We knew that our riders had to fight between themselves for this, but also Alex Rins and Sam Lowes, added to the strong competition. Finally, Johann won it quite easily and his main opponent was Jonas, who unfortunately has had to miss the last few races due to health reasons. The second achievement, which was even more of a dream, was the top Independent rider accolade. This was tough, especially as Cal Crutchlow was a rival, and he won two races last year. In addition, Danilo Petrucci has scored a lot of podiums in 2017 and both of them were on the same spec bike as the factory teams. Yet, halfway through the season, we were involved in the fight, and then we started to believe. Even with one GP remaining, we’ve clinched this title, which is superb and we are very proud plus, it means a lot to us all. The last success was in the team championship, which is important for our sponsors and us. Regardless of what occurs in Valencia, we will finish 4th behind the three factory teams, but as the top Independent team in the championship. This is another amazing achievement and I would like to thank both riders and all of our staff. We have our triple crown, and although our goals were different to the factory crews, we are more than delighted to have won these three titles and to offer it to all the people who made it happen. Most significantly, this means all of our sponsors and it would not have been possible without them, plus we are thrilled to retain them all for next year. In addition, Yamaha has given us the great machinery which allowed us to accomplish all of this, and with the incredible talent of our riders, and the efforts of everyone in Tech3, we did an exceptional job. Therefore, I am extremely proud and happy to pass this on to our partners.”