Yamaha’s decision to withdraw it’s factory team from the World Superbike championsip at the end of the season has left everyone more or less surprised, including Marco Melandri and Eugene Laverty, who both podiumed twice for Yamaha at Silverstone, it was a cold shower and a nose dive into an unpleasant reality of today’s economics and how it effects motorcycle racing.
Melandri speaking to Motosprint.
it reported that he had an option to renew with Yamaha if he was third in the championship standings by a certain date, “In the contract signed last winter there was the option to renew; if I was third in the standings by July 31st, the agreement would have been automatically renewed.
““I was happy because after four seasons of constant changes,” added the Italian.
” I had the opportunity to race two years in a row with the same bike, the same team and in the same series.
Unfortunately I have to look for an alternative.
I’m devastated, but I’ll find another bike, go ahead and keep my head up as I always have.
” Eugene Laverty, who already had a two year signed contract was just as shocked.
He tweeted yesterday, “Today’s news of Yamaha pulling out of WSB came as a shock to me as well.
Really disappointing for the entire team – a great bunch of guys.
” and the reality of not knowing where he’ll be next season made him tweet “Queues at the dole office are huge this morning.
”The 2012 World Superbike silly season is still very much up in the air, and not even a handful of riders already know where they’re going be when next year rolls around and with the new rules supposedly coming into effect, these two talented riders could be snapped up much sooner than later.