Tech 3 Yamaha
One of MotoGP's longest-standing independent teams, now racing as Red Bull KTM Tech3.
Tech3 is a motorcycle racing team competing in the MotoGP™ and Moto3™ World Championships. Founded in 1990 by Hervé Poncharal, the team has competed in multiple classes of Grand Prix motorcycle racing and is one of the longest-standing independent teams in the premier class. As of the 2020s, Tech3 operates as a satellite team for KTM under the name Red Bull KTM Tech3. In 2025, a consortium led by Guenther Steiner acquired full ownership of the team, marking a new era beginning in 2026.
Quick Facts
- Premier class debut
- 2001 (500cc, Yamaha YZR500)
Lore & Background
The team was founded in 1990 by ex-racer Hervé Poncharal, engineer Guy Coulon, and Bernard Martignac, initially racing in the 250 cc class using Honda and Suzuki motorcycles. The team achieved major success at the end of the decade, culminating in the 2000 season when riders Olivier Jacque and Shinya Nakano finished first and second respectively in the 250cc World Championship. In the 1999 season, Tech3 partnered with Yamaha and became a long-term satellite team. In the 2001 season the team moved the whole operation to the premier class, again with Yamaha, Jacque, and Nakano on the YZR500. Over nearly two decades, the team established itself as one of the leading independent outfits in MotoGP, achieving multiple podium finishes and consistently placing among the top non-factory teams. Towards the end of the 2002 season, the team was given use of the YZR-M1, marking an important step in its development. During the 2006 and 2007 seasons, Tech3 ran on Dunlop tyres before returning to Michelin in 2008. That same year, the rider line-up featured reigning two-time Superbike World Champion James Toseland alongside fellow two-time Champion Colin Edwards, forming a highly experienced pairing. Further changes came in 2010 when Ben Spies replaced Toseland. Spies enjoyed a strong debut season with the team, finishing sixth in the championship, while Edwards placed eleventh. At the same time, the team expanded its presence into the newly introduced Moto2 category, where Tech3 riders Yuki Takahashi and Raffaele De Rosa competed on Honda-powered machines using a Tech3 chassis, finishing twelfth and twenty-seventh respectively. Ahead of the 2011 season, Spies moved up to the factory Yamaha team and was replaced by Cal Crutchlow, while Edwards remained with the team for a fourth consecutive year, providing continuity and experience. In 2012, Crutchlow entered the second year of his contract, but further changes followed as Edwards announced his departure to join Forward Racing. He was replaced by Andrea Dovizioso, signalling another shift in the team’s rider lineup. Shortly afterwards, Bradley Smith signed a deal to compete in MotoGP with the team for the 2013 and 2014 seasons, continuing the team’s pattern of evolving talent and maintaining a competitive presence. In 2019, Tech3 ended its partnership with Yamaha and became the official satellite team for KTM.
Reader's Guide
Tech3 partnered with Yamaha from the 1999 season until the end of the 2018 season, a period of 18 years, not over twenty. The partnership began in 1999 and ended in 2019 when Tech3 became the official satellite team for KTM.
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