The ELF Marc VDS Racing Team will close its Moto2 program at the conclusion of the 2026 season, bringing an end to one of the intermediate class’s most successful operations.
The decision follows the death of team founder and owner Marc van der Straten on July 5. The Belgian team is now set to focus its racing activities on the Superbike World Championship from 2027, with Sam Lowes as the sole rider.
Marc VDS has been a fixture in Grand Prix racing since entering the inaugural Moto2 World Championship in 2010 and has claimed three Moto2 Riders’ Championships, with Tito Rabat winning in 2014, Franco Morbidelli in 2017 and Alex Marquez in 2019. The team also competed in MotoGP between 2015-2018, winning one race with Jack Miller at Assen in 2016.
The Marc VDS team has also amassed more than 100 podiums across the World Championship categories.
The closure means current riders Aron Canet and Deniz Oncu will leave the team at the end of the year. Canet is set to join Fantic for 2027, while Oncu will move to the Spanish-Dutch Momomove RW squad.
Marc VDS had switched from its long-standing Kalex partnership to Boscoscuro for 2025 and 2026, making this season its final Moto2 campaign. The team’s Moto2 grid positions are currently not expected to be reassigned, reducing the 2027 field by two riders to 28.CN
