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In addition to its successes in the premier class, the TotalEnergies company has never neglected the lower categories, whether introductory or intermediate. In the 1970s, a number of riders received support and wore the ELF colours: Jean-François Baldé, Olivier Chevalier, Michel Rougerie, Christian Léon... to name but a few. A few years later, the French energy group's competition managers provided long-standing support for the French sprint team, with which Régis Laconi and Olivier Jacque excelled in 1993 and 1994. Two riders who were subsequently able to compete in the Grand Prix, again thanks to the support of the ELF brand. Since the advent of Moto2, created in 2010 to replace the 250 category and its two-stroke engines, TotalEnergies, with its ELF brand, has been present in the intermediate class with the Marc VDS Racing structure. This loyalty has enabled the Belgian team to win three world championship titles with Tito Rabat in 2014, Franco Morbidelli in 2017 and Alex Marquez in 2019. Since 2020, the ELF brand has been the title sponsor, with the team taking the name ELF Marc VDS Racing.
A strong commitment in an ultra-disputed category with unique engines where the slightest detail affects performance. The regulations are more restrictive than in MotoGP.
Runner-up in last year's World Championship, Tony Arbolino is one of the favourites for the Moto2 title this season. With Pedro Acosta now in MotoGP, the Italian rider of the ELF Marc VDS team will have no other objective than to succeed the Spaniard in the intermediate category. Arbolino, in his third season with ELF Marc VDS, is now the spearhead of Marc Van der Straten's team, Sam Lowes having left to ride in WSBK. Czech rider Filip Salac will take over his handlebars, teaming up with Tony Arbolino.
Pedro Acosta's succession promises to be a hard-fought one, however, with Fermin Aldeguer rising to prominence after a fine end to the 2023 season which saw him take third place in the overall standings. Behind him, Jake Dixon also put in a fine performance. If he can show a little more consistency, the British rider from the CF Moto Aspar team can just as easily claim the crown. Moto3 World Champion in 2022, his team-mate Izan Guevara is expected to step up a gear after a rather timid first season in Moto2. This should also be the case for Sergio Garcia, who was his runner-up in Moto3. Another rider to keep an eye on is the talented Manuel Gonzalez, recruited this season by the Gresini team to team up with Albert Arenas, who put in some promising tests over the winter.
Disappointing in 2023, Ai Ogura, who now rides for the MT Helmets MSI team, will be looking for redemption. And let's not forget Somkiat Chantra, who has stayed with the Idemitsu Honda team, and Celestino Vietti, who has replaced Pedro Acosta in the Ajo team. The Italian now shares the Finnish outfit's garage with Deniz Öncü, who is making his debut in the intermediate class, as are reigning Moto3 world champion Jaume Masia, Japanese rider Ayumu Sasaki, who last year finished second overall in the introductory class, and Brazilian rider Diogo Moreira.
Updated in April 2024
