Rory Skinner will make the move to the Moto2 World Championship next season, joining the American Racing Team for his rookie season in the MotoGP support class.
Skinner joins the team after his a strong season in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship with the Cheshire Mouldings FS-3 Kawasaki team, where he has been a podium finisher and Showdown contender before injury curtailed his campaign.
The young Scot has already made two appearances in the Moto2 World Championship this season when the 21-year-old joined the team for Silverstone and Austria as a wildcard entry to give him vital experience to face the challenge ahead.
Skinner said: "I'm delighted to be joining American Racing for the next two seasons. Racing in the Grand Prix paddock is every rider's dream, and opportunities like these don't come along often.
"American Racing feels like the perfect team to make my full-time Moto2 debut with. I am under no illusions as to just how competitive Moto2 is. I will be doing everything I can to repay the faith they've shown in me, and I also want to thank all the people who have supported me in the past four seasons in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship paddock. From my dad running me on a private Kawasaki in British Supersport, to Robin and Doug for giving me the chance at Appleyard Macadam Racing, and of course my current FS-3 Racing team.
“I am very lucky to have worked with some amazing people who have helped me develop as both a person and a rider in what is a high-level championship."
John Hopkins, American Racing Team Director, added: "We're really excited to be bringing Rory on board. He is an exceptional talent, which we've known from the beginning of working with him. It's very difficult these days to get people to see the talent of riders outside of the Grand Prix paddock, which is the main reason for the wildcards he did with the team earlier this year. He showed how exceptional he is with his speed having never been on the Moto2 bike before.
"We're really excited to bring him on board, we know it'll be a difficult start but we're all up for the challenge. Rory's mental approach is what proves to me that he will be competitive and with that, we'll be ensuring that he has every tool to be able to carry that through.”