Alex Lowes' WFR Honda team have made the shock decision to pull out of the MCE British Superbike Championship and will not compete next year.
WFR managed to take Lowes into the Showdown and eventually fourth place in the 2012 title chase while team-mate James Westmoreland took the Riders' Cup for the highest non-Showdown finisher.
The move appears to have been a tough one for managing director Myles Schofield and he states it isn't for purely financial reasons.
“It’s been an extremely difficult decision and one that I have not taken lightly. I understand that it is very upsetting for everyone concerned, but I believe it is the right decision for the time and that it will give everyone involved with the team the best opportunity to move forward positively from the experience," said Schofield.
“It is not purely a question of budget, although it would be wrong to say that I could continue to run a similar programme to this year, there was certainly strong financial commitment to Superbikes which could have resulted in another well-funded showing in BSB.
"Unfortunately, in combination with other circumstances, money alone just isn’t enough to do a season in BSB justice, and hand on heart I didn’t feel 100 per cent certain that I was in a position to do my best – something I have always prided myself and my team on during my time in racing."
