Tony is the third member of the Elias family to compete in motorcycle racing and the 24-year-old Spaniard has claimed one victory in the premier class since joining MotoGP in 2005 - taking the line first in Portugal in 2006.

That win was by the requard-equalling closest margin ever in MotoGP as he edged out Valentino Rossi by a mere 0.002 seconds.

Frenchman Guintoli, 25, made his debut in MotoGP last year and, riding for Tech 3 Yamaha, managed a fourth place in Japan.