2012 MotoGP line-up unveiled

The 2012 MotoGP world championship line-up has been unveiled with 21 bikes starting the new 1000cc campaign in Qatar on April 8.

The grid will be split between a mixture of 12 factory prototype machines from Honda, Yamaha and Ducati and nine new CRT projects.

Australian Casey Stoner, who dominated the final 800cc campaign in 2011, has ditched his favoured number 27 to switch to the number one plate on the new Repsol Honda RC213V machine.

Former world champion Jorge Lorenzo will revert back to his number 99 on board the factory Yamaha YZR-M1.

The new CRT machines run highly tuned 1000cc production engines in a prototype chassis and have been introduced to boost dwindling grid numbers with independent teams struggling to raise budgets to lease expensive prototypes.

Colin Edwards is probably the highest profile rider on a new CRT bike and he will ride for the Forward Racing squad using a Suter chassis and a modified BMW S1000RR engine.

Ivan Silva and Yonny Hernandez will ride the FTR-Kawasaki for BQR. British chassis experts FTR will also supply the frame for Michele Pirro’s Gresini CRT bike, which will be powered by a Honda CBR1000RR motor.

Danilo Petrucci will ride the Ioda bike which will use Aprilia’s RSV4 motor.

There will be four machines designed by Aprilia on the grid under the name of ART.

Anthony West, Randy de Puniet and Aleix Espargaro will be on the Aprilia machine, as will British rider James Ellision, who is riding for the Paul Bird Racing outfit.

There will be two Brits on the 2012 grid with Cal Crutchlow partnering Andrea Dovizioso in the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 squad.

Provisional MotoGP entry list
1 CASEY STONER AUS – HONDA TEAM, HONDA
4 ANDREA DOVIZIOSO ITA – YAMAHA TECH 3, YAMAHA
5 COLIN EDWARDS USA – FORWARD RACING, SUTER*
6 STEFAN BRADL GER – LCR HONDA MotoGP, HONDA
8 HECTOR BARBERA SPA – PRAMAC RACING TEAM, DUCATI
9 DANILO PETRUCCI ITA – IODA RACING PROJECT, IODA*
11 BEN SPIES USA – YAMAHA FACTORY RACING, YAMAHA
13 ANTHONY WEST AUS – SPEED MASTER, ART*
14 RANDY DE PUNIET FRA – ASPAR TEAM MotoGP, ART*
17 KAREL ABRAHAM CZE – CARDION AB MOTORACING, DUCATI
19 ALVARO BAUTISTA SPA – HONDA GRESINI, HONDA
20 ALEIX ESPARGARO SPA – ASPAR TEAM MotoGP, ART*
22 IVAN SILVA SPA – BQR, BQR-FTR*
26 DANI PEDROSA SPA – HONDA TEAM, HONDA
35 CAL CRUTCHLOW GBR – YAMAHA TECH 3, YAMAHA
46 VALENTINO ROSSI ITA – DUCATI TEAM, DUCATI
51 MICHELE PIRRO ITA – HONDA GRESINI, FTR*
68 YONNY HERNANDEZ COL – BQR, BQR-FTR*
69 NICKY HAYDEN USA – DUCATI TEAM, DUCATI
77 JAMES ELLISON GBR – PAUL BIRD RACING, ART*
99 JORGE LORENZO SPA – YAMAHA FACTORY RACING, YAMAHA
*CRT