RNF Racing: The Rise, Fall and Resurrection of a MotoGP Team

However, fate had different plans for the Razlan Razali-helmed squad, as they encountered unexpected challenges after a change in leadership, sending them spiraling down the rankings. But with 2023 on the horizon, RNF Racing is ready to put the pedal to the metal and take back what's rightfully theirs.

It's hard to believe that the team currently known as RNF Racing, which placed a disappointing 11th out of 12 teams in the 2022 MotoGP championship, was once a powerhouse that came in second for the title race in 2020. Back then, they were known as the Sepang Racing Team, backed by the mighty Malaysian oil giant Petronas. The team had already made a name for themselves in the Moto3 and Moto2 classes before taking on the challenge of MotoGP in 2019, seizing the grid slots of the struggling Marc VDS Honda squad.

SRT burst onto the MotoGP scene with Razlan Razali at the helm and Franco Morbidelli as their champion plucked from the ruins of Marc VDS. But their second choice was the young Fabio Quartararo, who stole the spotlight. Despite limited experience, Quartararo proved to be a gem in the hands of the management structure, and they brought out his full potential. He claimed seven podiums, six pole positions and was a top rookie in sixth place.

In 2020, Quartararo and Morbidelli were a force to be reckoned with. Quartararo won three times, and Morbidelli did the same, coming in a close second in the championship behind Joan Mir. However, Quartararo's momentum faltered in the final six rounds of the COVID-affected season. And then, things went sour.

In 2021, things took a sharp turn for the Petronas Sepang Racing Team. Despite a promising start in 2020, the team's fortunes were hit by a string of bad luck. Franco Morbidelli was not given a bike upgrade for 2021, and his season went from bad to worse as he suffered an injury midway through. Morbidelli was eventually called upon to replace Maverick Vinales at the factory Yamaha team, while Fabio Quartararo had already been promoted for the 2021 season, with MotoGP icon Valentino Rossi taking his place at the satellite team. Rossi, however, struggled to find form and eventually announced his retirement.

Petronas withdrew its sponsorship as if that wasn't enough, leaving the team in disarray. The situation was dire, and the team was forced to fold. But Razlan Razali, the former Sepang circuit chief, wasn't about to give up. He scrambled to set up a new team, RNF Racing, and secured a one-year deal with Yamaha to continue as its satellite partner.

Andrea Dovizioso was brought out of his sabbatical to ride a factory-spec bike in 2022. SRT's Moto3 race winner Darryn Binder was promoted to MotoGP on a 2021-spec M1 with the help of some much-needed financial backing. It remains to be seen how the new team will fare, but Razali's determination and resourcefulness are sure to keep fans on the edge of their seats.

Dovizioso struggled to adapt to Yamaha and failed to perform well, retiring from MotoGP after the San Marino GP. Meanwhile, Binder's season was lackluster, with his highest finish being 10th and scoring just 12 points. He will move down to Moto2 in 2023.

Razali was looking for a long-term commitment from Yamaha for his resurrected team, RNF Racing. However, Yamaha declined to commit, so Razali signed a two-year deal with Aprilia to become its satellite partner from the next season.

This led to a refreshed lineup with Oliveira and Fernandez joining the team, while Binder became a victim of the Yamaha split as he was directly contracted to the marque. Talks with Aprilia started in 2020, but Razali was not initially keen to change from Yamaha. However, the deal was signed when RNF was unable to continue with Yamaha.

The timing of the switch to Aprilia coincided with the Italian team's first-ever win in the modern era, with Espargaro challenging for the title until the penultimate round of 2022. However, RNF's title sponsor, WithU, decided not to continue in 2023, leading to a frantic search for new backing. Cryptocurrency company CryptoData provided the needed support, but their source of funds is unclear. The ongoing crypto market turmoil after FTX's collapse has cast doubts on RNF's future going into 2023.

The RNF team cannot fully control the unpredictability of the cryptocurrency market, but it insists that it has done its due diligence on new sponsor CryptoData, which has previously supported several Grand Prix races. What RNF can control is its on-track performance, which showed promising signs at the post-season Valencia test. Despite receiving good support from Yamaha, RNF's progress was hindered by the manufacturer's slow development process.

However, with Aprilia, RNF will have access to the same bikes as the factory team and has been assured that it will be a true partnership. RNF owner Razali hopes that former Ferrari junior program head and current Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola's F1 background will enable the team to have its own rider development structure in the future. Razali believes this partnership was missing with Yamaha and is crucial for RNF to return to the front of the order, or else the team's legitimacy will be called into question.