Splitlath Redmond 'temporarily retire' from BSB

Co-owner John Dimbylow's ill health prompts Splitlath Redmond Aprilia to 'temporarily' withdraw from the British Superbike Championship.
Splitlath Redmond 'temporarily retire' from BSB

Splitlath Redmond Racing has announced that it is pulling out of the MCE British Superbike Championship due to the ill health of co-owner John Dimbylow.

The team, which was slated to run Jakub Smrz and Mark Aitchison on a pair of factory-assisted Aprilia RSV4s in 2013, makes the announcement just over a month before the new season gets underway.

Citing the withdrawal as 'temporary', co-owner Derek Redmond said the move has been brought about by ill health for Dimbylow.

"It is with great regret that Splitlath Redmond is announcing its temporary retirement from BSB. This is due to the ill health of John Dimbylow and both John and I would like to stress that this is a temporary measure.

"We would like to take this opportunity to offer our sincere apologies to all of our loyal fans and supporters as well as our suppliers and most of all Piaggio UK, which has contributed greatly to the team's efforts for this and over previous seasons.

"This is by no means the end of Splitlath Redmond, it is simply an unavoidable and necessary action which the team is being forced to take at this time and we look forward to returning to competitive racing very soon."

Splitlath Redmond made its BSB debut in 2010, where it enjoyed a successful season in the EVO class, but has struggled for results since stepping up to the championship class.

Despite this, the team was able to attract a strong calibre of rider for 2013, with Smrz and Aitchison both having enjoyed success on the international stage prior to their proposed full-time switch to BSB.

It remains to be seen whether Smrz and Aitchison will remain in Splitlath Redmond's undisclosed plans for the future or seek alternative rides.

Read More