Spanish oil giant Repsol has renewed its title sponsorship of Honda’s factory MotoGP team for a further two years.

Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) also confirmed that it will run three factory bikes in next season’s championship, as it did during Repsol’s first season sponsoring the team in 1995. Former Ducati rider Casey Stoner will join Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso in the Honda team.

With Repsol sponsorship, the Honda bikes are amongst the most recognisable in MotoGP. Since 1995 the team has won eight championships and secured 90 race victories. Announcing the renewal Tetsuo Suzuki, HRC’s president, said: “Honda’s partnership with Repsol has been long and successful and we are very proud to be together again for this challenge into the future.”

Begona Elices, Repsol’s corporate director of communications, added: “Repsol is extremely satisfied to be able to extend for another two seasons such a successful relationship with HRC, which will reach 18 years and during which we have achieved 90 victories in the premier class of motorcycle racing. The combination of a reference manufacturer like Honda and three riders like Dani, Andrea and Casey, guarantees us a permanent hope for the whole championship as well as a place in the leading positions of the standings.

"Competing in the top class is intrinsic to Repsol; it is part of the corporate philosophy and strategy of our company. Top competition gives us the opportunity to be leaders in research and development of new fuels and lubricants while allowing us to maintain a much closer relationship with our customers.”

The announcement was made prior to the post-season MotoGP test session at Valencia, which will see Stoner make his Honda debut. As the team is growing from a two-bike team to a three-bike team, industry experts have placed the value of Repsol’s latest deal at around US$15 million per season, up some US$5 million from 2010.

 The 2011 championship is scheduled to begin with a floodlit race in Qatar on Sunday 20th March.

Source: Sports Pro