Aspar want to move up

The Spanish-run team currently use Aprilias in both their 250cc and 125cc world championship squads and are front-runners in both, but with the Italian manufacturer not interested in building an 800c bike, they are looking elsewhere.

"Our aim is to have one rider next year in Moto GP and two in 2009," team boss Jorge Martinez told Motociclismo magazine. "We have everything we need to have in with sponsors and, apart from the current ones, we would have a few new ones.

"The clear options are to use Suzuki and Kawasaki bikes , but we have also talked to other manufacturers. It would be a project of at least three years and always with the same tyre supplier used by the works team."

At the moment Kawasaki look the more likely bike for the team as Suzuki are not keen to provide customer machines for anyone.

1988 125cc world champion Martinez formed his team in 1997 after his retirement from riding and saw Alvaro Bautista deliver their first world title last year in the same class.

And he confirmed that both the 125 and 250cc operations would continue even if they did step up to Moto GP.

"It would be a completely new structure, and the 125 and 250 teams would continue unaltered with the same components," he added.