The inaugural Moto2 championship will see a full field of 39 bikes, with another two entries waiting in the wings as reserves.

The new series, in which chassis choice is free but all competitors run identical Honda engines, was over-subscribed when entries were first opened last year, and has remained at capacity despite Aprilia’s last-minute decision to pull the plug on its chassis project.

Moto2’s predecessor 250cc averaged 25 entries in its final season.

The entry is led by former MotoGP riders Toni Elias, Alex de Angelis, Gabor Talmacsi, Yuki Takahashi and Niccolo Canepa, with ex-Kawasaki MotoGP racer Anthony West among the reserves having joined the MZ team.

Roby Rolfo and Fonsi Nieto – two more riders with MotoGP experience – join Moto2 from the Superbike World Championship.

All of last year’s 250cc title contenders have moved into MotoGP rather than contesting Moto2, with Mattia Pasini, Raffaele de Rosa, Thomas Luthi, Mike di Meglio and Alex Debon the main ex-250cc men in the Moto2 field. 125cc graduates also feature strongly, led by reigning champion – and former 250cc racer – Julian Simon.

Actor Antonio Banderas is also a Moto2 supporter and is backing Spanish squad Promoracing. The team, which has title sponsorship from Jack&Jones, will run American Kenny Noyes and 125cc graduate Joan Olive.

2010 Moto2 entry list

No.  Rider                Team                          Chassis

2    Gabor Talmacsi       Speed Up Aprilia              Speed Up

4    Stefan Bradl         Viessmann Kiefer Racing       Suter

5    Joan Olive           Jack&Jones By A.Banderas      Promoharris

6    Alex Debon           Red Bull Ajo Motorsport       FTR

7    Axel Pons            Pons Racing                   Pons Kalex

9    Kenny Noyes          Jack&Jones By A.Banderas      Promoharris

10   Fonsi Nieto          G22 Holidaygym                Moriwaki

12   Thomas Luthi         Interwetten Moriwaki Racing   Moriwaki

14   Ratthapark Wilairot  Honda-Sag                     Suter

15   Alex de Angelis      Scot Racing Team              Scot

16   Jules Cluzel         Forward Racing                Suter

17   Karel Abraham        Cardion Ab Motoracing         RSV

24   Toni Elias           Gresini Racing Moto2          Moriwaki

25   Alex Baldolini       Caretta Technology Race Dept  I.C.P.

29   Andrea Iannone       Speed Up Aprilia              Speed Up

35   Raffaele de Rosa     Tech 3 Racing                 Tech 3

37   Fabricio Perren      Kino Racing                   Kino

39   Robertino Pietri     Italtrans S.T.R.              Suter

40   Sergio Gadea         Pons Racing                   Pons Kalex

41   Arne Tode            Racing Team Germany           Suter

44   Roberto Rolfo        Italtrans S.T.R.              Suter

45   Scott Redding        Marc VDS Racing Team          Suter

48   Shoya Tomizawa       Technomag-Cip                 Suter

52   Lukas Pesek          Matteoni C.P. Racing          Moriwaki

53   Valentin Debise      WTR San Marino Team           ADV

55   Hector Faubel        Honda-Sag                     Suter

56   Vladimir Leonov      Vector Kiefer Racing          Suter

59   Nicola Canepa        Scot Racing Team              Scot

60   Julian Simon         Mapfre Aspar Team             RSV

61   Vladimir Ivanov      Gresini Racing Moto2          Moriwaki

63   Mike di Meglio       Mapfre Aspar Team             RSV

71   Claudio Corti        Forward Racing                Suter

72   Yuki Takahashi       Tech 3 Racing                 Tech 3

75   Mattia Pasini        JiR Moto2                     TSR

76   Bernat Martinez      Blusens BQR                   BQR-Moto2

77   Dominique Aegerter   Technomag-Cip                 Suter

88   Yannick Guerra       G22 Holidaygym                Moriwaki

95   Mashel Al Naimi      Blusens BQR                   BQR-Moto2

TBA  tba                  JiR Moto2                     TSR
Reserves
27   Vincent Lonbois      Marc VDS Racing Team          Suter

TBA  Anthony West         MZ Racing Team                MZ

Motorcycling’s governing body the FIM has confirmed a 17-bike field for the 2010 MotoGP season.

The loss of the Hayate Kawasaki and Scot Honda teams has been balanced out by the arrival of two 250cc graduate squads, with Aspar running a Ducati for Hector Barbera and Daniel Epp’s Interwetten team bringing 250cc champion Hiroshi Aoyama on a satellite Honda.

Nearly one third of the riders on the grid will be contesting a full MotoGP season for the first time. In addition to Barbera and Aoyama, highly-rated Superbike world champion Ben Spies moves across to MotoGP with Tech 3 Yamaha after various one-off outings in recent years, and former 250cc champion Marco Simoncelli will race for Gresini Honda.

Suzuki is also promoting a 250cc frontrunner by signing Alvaro Bautista, while Aleix Espargaro gets a full season with Pramac Ducati after impressing on substitute appearances last year.

This influx of rookies has resulted in several departures, with Chris Vermeulen and James Toseland returning to Superbikes after losing their Suzuki and Tech 3 rides respectively. Fellow MotoGP refugees Toni Elias, Alex de Angelis, Niccolo Canepa and Gabor Talmacsi have all opted for the new Moto2 series.

Italian team FB Corse and Spanish outfit Inmotec have both been working on new MotoGP designs with the aim of racing in 2010, but neither has been included on the official entry list.

2010 MotoGP entry list

No  Rider             Official team name        Bike

4   Andrea Dovizioso  Repsol Honda Team         Honda

5   Colin Edwards     Monster Yamaha Tech 3     Yamaha

7   Hiroshi Aoyama    Interwetten-Honda MotoGP  Honda

11  Ben Spies         Monster Yamaha Tech 3     Yamaha

14  Randy de Puniet   LCR Honda MotoGP          Honda

19  Alvaro Bautista   Rizla Suzuki MotoGP       Suzuki

24  Marco Melandri    San Carlo Honda Gresini   Honda

26  Dani Pedrosa      Repsol Honda Team         Honda

27  Casey Stoner      Ducati Marlboro Team      Ducati

36  Mika Kallio       Pramac Racing Team        Ducati

40  Hector Barbera    Aspar MotoGP Team         Ducati

41  Aleix Espargaro   Pramac Racing Team        Ducati

46  Valentino Rossi   Fiat Yamaha Team          Yamaha

58  Marco Simoncelli  San Carlo Honda Gresini   Honda

65  Loris Capirossi   Rizla Suzuki MotoGP       Suzuki

69  Nicky Hayden      Ducati Marlboro Team      Ducati

99  Jorge Lorenzo     Fiat Yamaha Team          Yamaha

Loris Capirossi says he expects to continue racing beyond 2010 as he believes MotoGP’s forthcoming move to 1000cc bikes will suit him.

The Italian has been a world championship rider since joining the 125cc series in 1990 and is the most experienced man in the current MotoGP field. He will achieve his 300th start at world level at the start of the 2010 season.

MotoGP is due to change to 1000cc engines for 2012, although series supremo Carmelo Ezpeleta has hinted that the new rules could be brought forward to next year.

“If the 1000cc bikes come back in 2011, and I think this is possible, then I’d be the happiest rider on Earth,” Capirossi told Italian magazine Motosprint.

“It’s 99 per cent certain I’ll still be on the track after this season. I absolutely think so, because I’ll decide to hang up the helmet based on my level of satisfaction. If it’s an enjoyable season, with me fighting, if I’m satisfied with myself, then I may decide to quit.

“But after a 2009 so full of trouble, I’m not even thinking about this possibility.”

Capirossi is staying on with Suzuki for a third season in 2010, and will be paired with 250cc graduate Alvaro Bautista. So far Capirossi’s Suzuki stint has only delivered one podium finish in two years, and although he said he would probably retire if he was outpaced by Bautista, he did not want to stop without getting back among the frontrunners.

“If Bautista beats me race after race, then I will understand the problem is me and I will stay at home,” said Capirossi. “But if the bike doesn’t give me the chance of showing my worth, then it’d be difficult accepting to quit.”

The 36-year-old said his priority was to bow out in style, and that he would seek another team if Suzuki did not allow him to do so.

“I hope to find a competitive Suzuki this season, but if the bike isn’t and it doesn’t bring me decent results, then I won’t quit anyway,” Capirossi suggested.

“I’ll carry on racing, maybe after sorting out something else. If the bike goes well and I manage to get what I want, then I may decide to quit. I want to quit in a honourable way for myself, not for other people.”

Toni Elias has completed a deal to lead Gresini’s assault on the new Moto2 championship.

The Spaniard was dropped from the squad’s MotoGP arm this year along with erstwhile team-mate Alex de Angelis, as Gresini recruited Marco Melandri and Marco Simoncelli for 2010.

But he will remain with the team for Moto2, riding a Moriwaki chassis alongside Russian Supersport graduate Vladimir Ivanov. Elias tested the Moriwaki for the company last November.

“I am very pleased to continue racing with Team Gresini because it is like a family to me,” said Elias, who first joined Gresini in MotoGP in 2006, winning that year’s Portuguese Grand Prix. He moved to Pramac Ducati for 2008 but returned for a third season at Gresini last year.

“Alongside Moriwaki we are beginning a new adventure in Moto2. We are extremely confident about the project and we will all work with great determination to get the maximum results possible.”

Team boss Fausto Gresini has no doubt that Elias will be a contender for the Moto2 title.

“Having Toni as our lead rider is a source of great motivation for everybody and his experience and professionalism will no doubt rub off on Vladimir and help him,” he said.

“Elias is a rider we know well and we have enjoyed great moments with him – he is determined, hard-working and professional and he is prepared to work on development with us. He has everything in place to be competitive at every race and there is no reason why the title should not be his target.”

Elias brings the number of ex-MotoGP riders in Moto2 up to five, with de Angelis, Niccolo Canepa, Gabor Talmacsi and Yuki Takahashi having already secured deals in the 250cc series’ replacement.

Marco Simoncelli says he has no intention of speaking to fellow MotoGP rookies Alvaro Bautista and Hector Barbera following their feuds in the 250cc class.

There was antagonism between the two Spanish riders and 2008 champion Simoncelli following various on-track incidents during the last two seasons, and Simoncelli said the bad blood still lingered.

“After verifying what kind of hypocrites Bautista and Barbera are, I’ve decided I won’t be speaking to them anymore,” Simoncelli told Motosprint.

“I don’t want to have anything to do with them anymore, also considering we reason in a different way. They are strong riders, but as people they aren’t worth much.”

Simoncelli argued that no other rivals had problems with him, and accused the MotoGP officials of indulging Barbera and Bautista.

“Some riders, like Bautista and Barbera, always whine,” he said. “All the fuss against me started from them, after which race direction gave them a big hand.

“I race anyone in the same way, so it’s unbelievable that there were problems only with them. I happen to make contact with many riders, but with them – especially Bautista – it’s always a big fuss. In 2009 he has given me the impression of being someone looking for excuses.

“As for Barbera, he ran into me at Assen, and then said that he had to do it because I wouldn’t let him through… as if it was my fault!

“Race direction, by always judging in favour of Bautista and Barbera, has contributed in creating this ugly and hostile climate, which shouldn’t be there. They had begun taking advantage of a situation that had become favourable for them.”

All three riders are moving up to MotoGP this season. Simoncelli has joined Gresini Honda, Bautista becomes a works Suzuki rider, and Barbera will be the sole rider for Aspar as it graduates to MotoGP with a Ducati.

Hiroshi Aoyama – who beat all three men to the 250cc title – is also stepping up to MotoGP with new Honda customer squad Interwetten.

Marco Simoncelli says he has no intention of speaking to fellow MotoGP rookies Alvaro Bautista and Hector Barbera following their feuds in the 250cc class.

There was antagonism between the two Spanish riders and 2008 champion Simoncelli following various on-track incidents during the last two seasons, and Simoncelli said the bad blood still lingered.

“After verifying what kind of hypocrites Bautista and Barbera are, I’ve decided I won’t be speaking to them anymore,” Simoncelli told Motosprint.

“I don’t want to have anything to do with them anymore, also considering we reason in a different way. They are strong riders, but as people they aren’t worth much.”

Simoncelli argued that no other rivals had problems with him, and accused the MotoGP officials of indulging Barbera and Bautista.

“Some riders, like Bautista and Barbera, always whine,” he said. “All the fuss against me started from them, after which race direction gave them a big hand.

“I race anyone in the same way, so it’s unbelievable that there were problems only with them. I happen to make contact with many riders, but with them – especially Bautista – it’s always a big fuss. In 2009 he has given me the impression of being someone looking for excuses.

“As for Barbera, he ran into me at Assen, and then said that he had to do it because I wouldn’t let him through… as if it was my fault!

“Race direction, by always judging in favour of Bautista and Barbera, has contributed in creating this ugly and hostile climate, which shouldn’t be there. They had begun taking advantage of a situation that had become favourable for them.”

All three riders are moving up to MotoGP this season. Simoncelli has joined Gresini Honda, Bautista becomes a works Suzuki rider, and Barbera will be the sole rider for Aspar as it graduates to MotoGP with a Ducati.

Hiroshi Aoyama – who beat all three men to the 250cc title – is also stepping up to MotoGP with new Honda customer squad Interwetten.

MotoGP rookie Marco Simoncelli is ready to bide his time getting up to speed at Gresini this year – but is confident it will not take long for him to make big progress.

The former 250cc world champion will race alongside Marco Melandri in 2010, and says he is keeping his ambitions in check prior to the start of the season.

He hopes that his form in the top category will mirror what happened in 250cc – where he hit top form after an early learning process.

“The beginning in 250cc was really tough, especially the first year but after that there was a big improvement: let’s hope it will be the same in MotoGP,” Simoncelli told Gazzetta dello Sport.

“I hope I’ll learn quickly but, obviously, I need to stay calm. As in all classes, it will probably be relatively easy to get to a certain level, but to go really quick you need everything to be in shape: the rider, but also a bike that allows me to ride the way I want it to.”

Simoncelli’s feelings about his debut campaign have also been reinforced by the fact that questions remain about the overall competitiveness of the Honda bike.

When asked if he was worried that only Dani Pedrosa made the 2009 Honda fast, Simoncelli said: “I think the RC212V is a good bike, because de Angelis and Elias were competitive at times.

“Dovizioso started very well, and then lost his way a bit: these bikes probably have so many aspects to sort out that it’s easy to lose the right way. We’ll have to be calm and not get disheartened.”

Speaking about his chances against Melandri, he said: “Let’s hope I beat him! He has lots of experience and he is super quick: to beat him would mean being ahead in the championship.”

And Simoncelli also thinks it will be slightly weird racing against riders like Valentino Rossi and Loris Capirossi who he watched competing as a kid.

“Yeah, it feels strange,” he explained. “I will face Capirossi, who I used to watch racing when I was only eight and obviously Valentino, who has always been my idol.

“It’s a strange feeling, but it’s nice: obviously there will be more rivalry on the track, but there will be no problem outside because we are friends and we are two intelligent persons, both sportsmen. I think we’ll continue getting on well together.”

AUTOSPORT has published thousands of news stories during 2009, here we list the 20 most-read MotoGP articles of the year

20. Schwantz questions Stoner’s decision
August 22

Despite medical advice suggesting Stoner needed a break, former world champion Kevin Schwantz didn’t see it that way. The American was disappointed by Stoner’s decision and felt he should be been out there on the bike. In the end, Stoner’s form on his return proved his doubters wrong.

19. Qatar MotoGP race to run on Monday
April 12

It’s not often a major international race is held on a week day, but MotoGP’s season opener in Qatar had to be delayed when torrential rain made it impossible for riders to take to the track. At first the start was just pushed back an hour, then moved to the next day.

18. Pedrosa considering Ducati move
September 2

Yamaha wasn’t the only other home Pedrosa was seeking during 2009 and he also revealed that he had held talks with Ducati. It all came to nothing though, as the Italian team retained Stoner and Nicky Hayden, and Pedrosa stayed put.

17. Stoner diagnosed with mild anaemia
July 14

After the announcement that he would miss three races, Stoner’s doctor Claudio Macchiagodena said the Australian was suffering the fatigue of a man twice his age. Following a week of tests, the first clear answers about the former world champion’s conditions were starting to emerge.

16. Stoner claims third Qatar MotoGP win
April 13

Following a torrential downpour that forced the Qatar night race to be delayed until Monday, Stoner continued with his dominant form at the Losail circuit and scored his third consecutive victory there. The Australian beat Rossi by more than seven seconds.

15. Rossi: Pushing for win wasn’t smart
July 26

Rossi admitted he’d not been wise in trying to fight for victory in the Donington race, after crashing early on. Title rival Lorenzo was already out when Rossi fell, and the Italian admitted afterwards that he should have been more cautious. Nonetheless, Rossi recovered to fifth and still managed to increase his lead in the standings.

14. Ducati: Cold tyres caused Stoner crash
November 8

After enjoying a strong return, Stoner dominated practice and qualifying at the season finale at Valencia. Come race day however, he lost control of his Ducati on the warm-up lap and was forced to miss the final event of the season.

13. Stoner denies career under threat
August 27

Much was speculated about Stoner’s future during his summer absence. Some people even believed it was the end of his career. The Australian, however, denied all that and made it clear he was going to return and be strong again. He was right.

12. Lorenzo: Yamaha offer not good enough
July 20

With an offer from Ducati and interest from Honda, Lorenzo was playing hard to get with Yamaha and told them their offer wasn’t enough. He was still fighting for the title at the time. Later in the season, Lorenzo was confirmed at the team for at least another year.

11. Pedrosa says he wanted Yamaha ride
September 7

Dani Pedrosa was not a happy man at Honda in 2009, and he made that quite clear when he said the only reason he didn’t leave the team was because there was no room at Yamaha for 2010. His comments came just one day after confirming he would stay at Honda for another year.

10. Yamaha refuses bidding war for Lorenzo
July 6

When Ducati and Honda revealed their interest in Lorenzo, Yamaha was quick to make it clear it was not ready to raise the stakes to retain him. Lorenzo said the Yamaha offer wasn’t good enough, then decided to stay anyway – even though a move to Ducati would have earned him a bigger cheque.

9. Rossi injured in home incident
February 3

A bizarre domestic incident left Rossi close to missing the Sepang test in February, after he cut the ring finger of his left hand and the sole of his left foot when he fell onto a glass table while closing the curtains in his house. Despite the stitches, Rossi had no problems riding just two days later.

8. Scot Racing withdraws from MotoGP
November 11

Rossi’s point was more valid after the end of the season, when Scot was forced to leave MotoGP after Honda was unable to deliver the bike due to an expired time limit. The last 250cc champion team’s exit left MotoGP with just 17 bikes for the 2010 season.

7. FIM: 1000cc best future for MotoGP
December 2

Just three years after introducing 800cc bikes, MotoGP’s governing body began working on a new plan to run 1000cc engines from 2012. Admitting the 800cc units have not given the expected results, the FIM gave the green light to the new engines – similar to the 990cc units used when MotoGP was first launched in 2002.

6. Rossi criticises ‘elitist’ MotoGP
March 11

As the MotoGP field shrank, Rossi called on the sport’s manufacturers to do more to help satellite teams get competitive bikes. The world partly blamed the 800cc bikes, which he reckons have made the gap between works and privateer teams ‘huge’.

5. Rossi threatens 2011 Ducati switch
November 9

Tensions between Rossi and team-mate Jorge Lorenzo grew, and this was Rossi’s original threat to leave Yamaha for Ducati if the Spaniard continued as his team-mate from 2011. Rossi clarified his comments – saying it was journalistic interpretation and that he had no problem with Lorenzo – just a day later.

4. Yamaha backs Rossi’s Superbike plan
January 1

One of Rossi’s new year wishes was to fight against Troy Bayliss in a World Superbike race, and Yamaha began working to make it happen – even if it meant bringing the Australian rider out of retirement for a one-off event. In the end, Yamaha was unable to prepare a competitive bike in time and the plan was scrapped.

3. Rossi backs down from Ducati comments
November 10

Although Valentino Rossi still has a year to run on his Yamaha contract, speculation about his future is constant in MotoGP circles. Rumours went rife when the Italian suggested he was ready to consider Ducati for 2011, but he later said his quotes had been misinterpreted.

2. Silverstone reveals new MotoGP layout
February 18

Having secured a MotoGP round from 2010, Silverstone set out to create a new layout for the event. A £5 million revamp package will have the track leave the current design at the Abbey chicane and travel up the International circuit towards Becketts.

At the time the new design was announced, Silverstone was not expecting to host the F1 GP as well as MotoGP.

1. Stoner to miss next three races
August 10

After struggling with his fitness for several races, Casey Stoner finally decided to skip three events in order to recover from the mysterious illness that hindered his championship challenge. From the Czech Grand Prix, the Australian was replaced at Ducati by Mika Kallio, before he returned to action in Portugal.

MotoGP newcomers Hiroshi Aoyama and Marco Simoncelli continued their 2010 preparations with a three-day test at Sepang this week.

Rookies are allowed a limited amount of extra mileage under the testing restrictions, and the former 250cc title rivals took advantage of this to gain more experience prior to Christmas. Apart from heavy rain on Tuesday afternoon, they enjoyed dry weather throughout the test.

Interwetten Honda rider Aoyama was the faster of the pair, his best time of 2m02.30s beating Gresini Honda’s Simoncelli by 0.9 seconds.

“It was very important that we had the test in Sepang at this time of the year,” said Aoyama. “The circumstances were ideal; apart from the rain on Tuesday afternoon.

“I have to learn a lot, because the MotoGP bike is so much different from the 125cc and 250cc machines. I have to get used to the traction control and to the fact that all works electronically. I am satisfied with the work of these days, but I want to do more.”

Simoncelli felt he should have gone quicker, but was satisfied with his pace on longer runs.

“I’m happy. I had hoped to go a little faster but the lap times were not our principal target here and I am extremely satisfied with what we have achieved,” he said after finishing running on Wednesday.

“Fortunately today the rain held off and we were able to do a race simulation. I did 21 laps at a consistent pace in the 2m04s – even over the last few laps when the tyres were almost completely spent. Before the race simulation I did a 2m03.20s but I felt like I could have gone a good bit faster if the track was in better shape.”

Alex de Angelis will switch to Moto2 next season with the Scot Racing team in a deal backed by their San Marino homeland.

Scot had hoped to run de Angelis in MotoGP with San Marino funding, but Honda decided not to supply the team with a bike for 2010.

The partnership will therefore happen in new feeder series Moto2 instead, with de Angelis joining fellow ex-MotoGP rider Niccolo Canepa – who had a disappointing season with Pramac Ducati this year – at Scot.

“I am happy to collaborate on a project where I am the standard-bearer of my nation,” said de Angelis.

“As well, in a sense, I could define the Scot Racing Team as my home team: I know everyone for years and some of them drink their coffee in my own bar!

“They won two world championship titles and now we are working together to build a winning project in 2010, a prelude to my return to MotoGP the following year.”

De Angelis raced for Gresini in MotoGP for the past two seasons, but the team has dropped him and Toni Elias to make way for Marco Melandri and Marco Simoncelli.

Although Scot had a tough 2009 MotoGP campaign with first Yuki Takahashi, then Gabor Talmacsi, it took Hiroshi Aoyama to the title in the final year of the 250cc world championship, Moto2’s predecessor.