Martin joins Red Bull KTM Ajo for Moto2 move

Jorge Martin will move up to Moto2 from 2019 after signing a two-year deal with Red Bull KTM Ajo.

The current Moto3 world championship title contender will make the move to the intermediate class next year with the factory-supported Red Bull KTM Ajo squad to replace Miguel Oliveira who is stepping up to MotoGP with Tech3 KTM.

Martin has strong links to KTM after winning the Red Bull Rookies Cup in 2014 before his full-time move to world championship racing a year later.

Martin is naturally delighted with the move and is eager to standout as a rookie in Moto2 next year before building on it as part of his two-year contract.

“I think this is an important move for my career and I’m really happy to have found this agreement with KTM and Red Bull,” Martin said. “It is such a competitive brand and I already cannot wait to start working this winter to attack next season.

“I want to learn as much as I can in the first year and fight to be at the top in the second. Obviously I have good memories of KTM from the Red Bull Rookies Cup. It is important to be together again and I hope we can get the same sort of results we managed last time.”

Aki Ajo sees Martin as ‘one of the biggest talents’ rising through the Moto3 ranks and eager to help his progress up to Moto2.

“We can see that many riders can be quick when they move from Moto3 to Moto2,” Ajo said. “We have a lot of experience with this and there are many examples; so I get very excited when we have a top guy from Moto3 coming again into our Moto2 structure.

“I feel that Jorge is one of the biggest talents coming up and especially in Moto3. I’m really enthusiastic to welcome him into the KTM family.”

Martin is currently second in the 2018 Moto3 world championship, three points behind Marco Bezzecchi having claimed three wins from the opening seven rounds.

Oliveira's team-mate Brad Binder is yet to confirm his 2019 plans.