A new team will join the MotoGP World Championship in 2010, with current 250cc Grand Prix points leader Hiroshi Aoyama set to ride a Honda RC212V in a team run by Swiss 125cc and 250cc team owner Daniel Epp.

The new team will make it seven Hondas on the grid for next season, ruling out any possibility of Randy de Puniet’s LCR Honda team in expanding to a two-rider effort, but further increasing the entry numbers for the new year.

Aoyama will very likely be joined as a rookie by Aleix Espargaro at Pramac Racing Ducati, who impressed in two raced completed this season while Casey Stoner was away and Mika Kallio stepped into the factory role.

Kallio has already re-signed with Pramac, while Italian Niccolo Canepa is believed to be joining Moto2 – a series that’s also expected to feature Toni Elias and perhaps Alex de Angelis in its inaugural year of competition.