Hiroshi Aoyama secures 2010 MotoGP switch

Hiroshi Aoyama, current leader of the 250GP world championship, will move to MotoGP in a new Honda team in 2010.

The Japanese rider, who heads into the final three races of 2009 with a commanding 26-point lead, will join a new team run by Swiss 125 and 250 boss Daniel Epp.

The deal was confirmed in Estoril today after Lucio Cecchinello unsuccessfully made a bid to run Aoyama on a second Honda RC212V in his LCR squad with Randy de Puniet.

Epp, who runs Thomas Luthi in the Caffe Latte 250GP squad, said: “We are pleased to announce that we have completed a deal to run a Honda RC212V in the MotoGP class in the 2010 season. After winning the world championship in 2005 with Tom Luthi on the 125cc Honda, it’s a great pleasure for me to join up again with Honda. After all these years we have finally been able to achieve our dream of presenting a MotoGP project. We are proud to become part of the premier class of motorcycle Grand Prix racing.”