KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 26 — Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix (MotoGP) outfit, Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team (SRT) finally confirmed the signing of nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi for the 2021 season.

The much-anticipated announcement came ahead of the weekend’s Catalan GP at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, as ‘The Doctor’ will continue to use the Yamaha YZR-M1 machine for the ninth season in a row next year.

The Italian, who is considered by many as the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) through a record-breaking career in the premier class of the sport since 2000, will join hands with compatriot Franco Morbidelli.

The announcement also confirmed a direct swap for French rider Fabio Quartararo, who has already signed for the Yamaha factory team to race together with Maverick Vinales.

Aged 41, Urbino-born Rossi is the only rider in history to win 125, 250, 500 and MotoGP World Championships, where he boasts seven world titles, 89 race wins, 199 podiums, 55 pole positions and 76 fastest laps in the premier class.

Team principal Datuk Razlan Razali said it is an absolute honour for SRT and all its partners to welcome the iconic rider and legend into the team next year.

"His experience will be a great asset to the team as we move into our third season in MotoGP and we are sure we will be able to learn a lot from him. At the same time, we will do our absolute best to assist him to be competitive and to reward him for the trust he has in us as a team.

"We are humbled by this opportunity and are ready to take on the challenge. We believe that the combination of Valentino and Franco will provide a truly formidable force on the track to help us in our goal to be as competitive as possible together next year. We can’t wait!” he said in a statement.

Since making the MotoGP debut in Qatar in 2019, SRT has raked in six pole positions and seven podiums, and won the Independent Teams’ Championship last year, while for the 2020 season, the team has already seen two pole positions, four podiums and three race wins, and is leading in the outright Teams’ Championship. — Bernama