Mark Aitchison is coming to terms with the fact that his World Superbike team, Effenbert Liberty Ducati will no longer be competing in the series and the Aussie is now focusing his plans on securing a ride for next year. He has been informed that places in race teams are very limited at the moment, and Aitchison has succumbed to the possibility that he may not ride again this year.
"I have been keeping in touch with people and making sure I am around. There is nothing to be honest, and there are no teams who are in a position to offer anything and I understand that. I think it is reality that I will have to wait till the season is over to look for other rides," said Aitchison, speaking to bikesportnews.com.
"But you never know in this game things change very quickly from day to day, week to week so never say never. In reality I am just putting myself in a good position for next season, and to make sure I am fit and healthy and ready to go when I need to hop on a bike."
This is the second time the Aussie has been in this situation this year. At the start of the season Aitchison signed for the Splitlath Redmond team in British Superbikes, alongside Czech Republic rider Jakub Smrz, but the team withdrew a month before the first race at Brands Hatch. Aitchison then joined the Italian team in April with the Australian having his first race at Aragon, but after only three rounds the team pulled out, leaving the rider in the same position he found himself in less than three months ago.
The Effenbert Liberty Ducati team gave Aitchison the same explanation as they did to the public, that they could not longer progress in the World Superbike series because of sponsorship issues. The rider does now understand that the team could no longer continue, but would have liked more time on the Ducati to improve on his race results.
"At the moment it is a little bit strange, for me it is like déjà-vu because I have been in situations like this before very recently. Obviously I was informed by the team that they would not be at Donington, it is disappointing but at the same time it has been good to get inside the World Superbike championship and get some races, considering what happened at the beginning of the season for me. It is a shame I did not get more time to learn the Ducati and to put some better results down.
"What the team explained to the press is what they told me, that there had been some complications with getting their investment return from their sponsor and the sponsor has a new direction and they want to find a new investment portfolio for their brand. I can understand from that side that they want to get more coverage and they feel the investment is better placed in other areas.
"I would have love to have ridden at Donington, but hopefully I can find a position in the future that can give me some consistency. I need that consistency now to build as I have no rhythm with my riding, and my situation in general. But I need to find somewhere I can be consistent and go out and ride and be competitive again."
