Colin Edwards will return alongside incoming Aleix Espargaro at Forward Yamaha.

NGM Mobile Forward Racing Team has confirmed Aleix Espargaro will join Colin Edwards in the 2014 MotoGP World Championship.

In its third MotoGP season the team will compete with support of Yamaha and FTR in entering the new Open class within MotoGP.

Both riders will be doing a three-day test after this weekend’s Valencia GP, in which they will get to ride for the first time the Yamaha–FTR next week.

“I am really excited for next year,” Edwards said. “The majority of my racing carrier has been with Yamaha, from the motocross days through road racing, so I am really excited to get back with Yamaha and obviously to enter into this new project with Forward and FTR.

“Theoretically on paper it looks like we can compete and right now, as soon as we are done with the season we need to get to work and that’s what I do best so I am really looking forward to it.”

Two-time CRT champion Espargaro will transfer from the Aspar ART he’s ridden for the past two years, excited to step up to a bike closer in specification to a factory MotoGP entry.

“After two years with a CRT bike, which have been very good for me, I think the time has come for me to make a change,” Espargaro said. “Forward Racing approached me with an offer, a very exciting and ambitious project involving Yamaha and FTR.

“I believe it can be a competitive bike and the project itself with the team is something that I am excited about. I look forward to riding the bike, test, work hard and see how far we can go with it.”

The team will also strengthen the collaboration with FTR also in the Moto2 category with Simone Corsi and Mattia Pasini.