Yamaha to withdraw World Superbike team

From www.yamaha-racing.com

Yamaha Motor Europe N.V. (YME) has decided to withdraw its official Yamaha World Superbike Team at the end of the current season from the FIM Superbike World Championship.

This announcement follows a full strategic review of the marketing operations within Europe including all motorsport activities and takes into account the continuing severe and rapidly changing powered two wheeler market conditions throughout the region.

Due to this decision more resource and focus will now be used for direct “customer“ activities to ultimately add more value to Yamaha ownership and increased customer satisfaction.

Riders Marco Melandri and Eugene Laverty are currently respectively third and fourth in the overall 2011 FIM Superbike World Championship standings for riders with four rounds to go.

Yamaha will continue the availability of road racing kit parts, known as YEC Racing kit parts, for its R1 and R6 production models for private teams entering at all racing levels.