Official: Ruben Fernandez becomes a Yamaha works rider and Gajser’s team-mate

The anticipated move is now official: Ruben Fernandez, who parted ways with HRC a few days ago, will ride for the Yamaha works team in 2027. The 27-year-old from Vigo will be team-mate to five-time world champion Tim Gajser.

For Fernandez, this also marks a return to Yamaha. The Spaniard has previously ridden for the Japanese manufacturer. In the 2023 season, he celebrated his only Grand Prix victory to date in Argentina and finished the World Championship in fifth place. Two years later, he finished fourth in the World Championship.

Yamaha reorganises factory team

The signing coincides with the reorganisation of Yamaha’s factory operations. In future, the MXGP team will be managed directly from Yamaha’s racing headquarters in Gerno di Lesmo, Italy. The Yamaha Campus is situated in the immediate vicinity of the ‘Autodromo Nazionale Monza’, next to Monza Park, north of Milan. The manufacturer’s MotoGP and Superbike World Championship projects are also based there.

Das MXGP-Werksteam befindet sich im Yamaha Campus in Monza

Foto: Thoralf Abgarjan

“We are delighted to welcome Ruben back into the Yamaha family,” said Yamaha’s off-road racing director, Alexandre Kowalski. “As a Grand Prix winner and proven top rider, his speed and professionalism will be a great asset to our factory programme.”

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Fernandez is looking for a change

Fernandez is looking forward to his change of brand with great enthusiasm: “Having spent so many years with the same team, the same people and the same motorbike, I’m looking forward to this change. Everything is new – the people, the motorbike and the team.”

Die Trophäen-Galerie im Yamaha-Campus

Foto: Thoralf Abgarjan

His first test rides on the YZ450FM are still to come. “I feel that this change is exactly what I need right now to take the next step in my career,” emphasised Fernandez. “I hope that we can consistently compete at the front and that I can show my full potential.”