From a press release issued by Fortuna Racing:

RUBEN XAUS JOINS TONI ELIAS AT FORTUNA YAMAHA TECH3

Ruben Xaus signed today a one year contract with the Fortuna Yamaha Tech 3 team, managed by Herve Poncharal, to ride an YZR-M1 Yamaha under the Fortuna colors, which will be entered in the 2005 MotoGP world championship.

Eleventh of the of 2004 world MotoGP championship, after having finished eleven Grand Prix out of sixteen in the points, which was worth to him to be elected ‘Rookie of the Year’, the Spanish rider, free from all contractual obligations with his former team, will have his compatriot Toni Elias as team mate.

“After having logically hired Toni Elias who carried already the Fortuna colors in the 250cc class this year, but who will discover a complete new category, we decided with our partners of the Altadis group, to recruit Ruben, who not only showed regularity in 2004 by finishing eleven Grand Prix, but who also took his chance, by obtaining a splendid third place at the Qatar Grand Prix”, declared Herve Poncharal, adding: ” Toni Elias and Ruben Xaus will benefit from the technical support of Yamaha and the experience of the Tech3 team, which will tackle next year its fifth season in the ‘premier class’ category, and all together we will have to be at the level of the confidence testified by Fortuna and the entire Altadis group”.

It is on the Sepang circuit in Malaysia, as from next 22 January, that the two Fortuna riders will carry out their first tests, on their new 2005 Yamaha YZR-M1 of the Fortuna Yamaha Tech3 team.