Team WD–40 has celebrated the life of Tommy Aquino on both sides of the Atlantic.

The team had been due to unveil their ambitious and exciting plans for the 2014 season at the London Bike Show, with Hollywood Aquino playing a lead role in the strong three rider line up, across the different BSB classes. However, just days before he was due to return to the UK, he was tragically killed in a motocross training accident.

Team owner Brent Gladwin and crew member Danny Wright, attended his memorial service in California, while in London Aquino’s race-winning Superstock 1000 Kawasaki featured as a tribute at the show.

“It has been a difficult time for everyone involved with Team WD–40. We had been working exceptionally hard over the winter to ensure that we would be able to give Tommy the best opportunity to shine in the Superbike class, as we believed he had the talent to go all the way in BSB,” said Gladwin.

“We saw that from his performances last season in the Superstock class and we knew that he really was something special. We had big plans for him this season and we were all excited about the prospect of Tommy progressing his racing career, before he was taken by this tragic accident.

“Tommy’s passing leaves a huge void in Team WD–40, but the preparation work continues and the team is still hungry to build on the previous season’s success within Superbikes. Our loyal partners, WD–40 and Stauff UK, have been extremely supportive during this difficult time and we are now completely focused on the different opportunities available to reach team capacity and our full potential.”