Be Wiser 'at a loss' to explain BSB team withdrawal

Insurance company Be Wiser has issued a statement expressing its shock at the decision by the AP Racing team it title sponsors in the British Superbike Championship to withdraw from the series.

The firm stepped up to BSB as prominent backer for the new Kawasaki outfit involving former BSB champion Tommy Hill, but following his exit earlier in the season, the team has blamed a funding shortfall for deciding to curtail its year.

"We've had to leave and do the honourable thing for our sponsors," Greig told Crash.net following the announcement. "The sponsors which Tommy Hill brought in when he joined have withdrawn and I couldn't keep going back to other sponsors asking for money for the rest of the year."

However, Be Wiser has issued a statement saying it was not expecting the team to exit, insisting it made all sponsorship payments on time.

"We were absolutely astonished to hear the news and extremely disappointed. As title sponsor we made all sponsorship payments on time and indeed exceeded our agreed level of contributions. We are at a loss to understand why AP Kawasaki Limited are unable to fulfil their obligations for the remaining two rounds of the BSB series."

Be Wiser Kawasaki ran the experienced Chris Walker and Superstock 1000 champion Danny Buchan for its inaugural campaign, but has struggled to find consistent success, with just two podiums results from the latter highlighting its scoresheet.