Steve Martin has been left without a ride for the remainder of the WSBK season, after his DFX Corse Honda team announced that it was unable to keep running his machine.
The team missed the recent group test in Valencia, leaving Martin, in particular, mystified, and the Australian was equally at a loss to explain the decision to end his campaign after just a couple of rounds. DFX claims that it is lacking the finance to complete the season - something that Martin believed was sound before the year started.
“I'm absolutely gutted - not just for me, but my whole crew," he sighed, “Just before the start of the season, I was reassured by DFX that they definitely had sufficient money to run both me and Fabrizio for the whole year and, on that basis, I decided to continue with the team, despite still having other options of rides at that time.
"So to now be told, just two races into the season, that the team doesn't actually have enough budget is unbelievable - and puts me in a position that could have been avoided. It's also disappointing, after seeing how much progress we've made with the bike during testing over the off-season, to now not be able to progress with that and turn it into some good results."
Martin revealed that, since being told of DFX's decision to withdraw, he had been busying himself in an attempt to make alternative arrangements.
“I've obviously spent the day on the phone talking to everyone to try and secure funding or avenues for another ride," he admitted, "but, as expected, so early into the season is not the time of the year to be trying to find either of those.”
DFX has confirmed that it will continue to run team-mate
Michel Fabrizio as the Italian is a Honda Europe rider and has the necessary backing for the rest of the year.
Martin, meanwhile, will still make the trip to
Donington for the third round of the championship at the end of the month, and plans to remain in Europe for the remainder of the season in the hope of securing either sponsorship or an alternative WSBK ride.
