Porto explains retirement decision.

On the eve of the Catalan Grand Prix, 250cc veteran Sebastian Porto surprised the MotoGP paddock by announcing his immediate retirement from racing.

By his own race-winning standards, the Argentinean had suffered a poor start to the 2006 season - for which Repsol had switched from Aprilia to Honda machinery -taking a best finish of just seventh. Both Porto and his team worked hard to try and reverse his form, but after ten consecutive seasons of world championship competition the 27-year-old suddenly announced that it was time to stop.

Porto took part in his first world championship race in 1994 - the 125cc Argentine Grand Prix - then raced for ten full seasons in the 250cc class, winning seven races, claiming 19 podium finishes - seven 2nd and five 3rd places - plus eleven pole positions and eight fastest laps. In 2004, Porto was world championship runner-up behind Dani Pedrosa.

"It is hard to take a difficult decision because in this world it is the last thing you would think about," began Sebas during his retirement speech. "You always think about continuing, trying to improve, but I think that the career of a sportsman, of everybody, finishes some day. So, well, today this day has arrived for me, probably in a rather strange way because I wouldn't have wanted it to finish. But I've always tried to do things well, and now I don't want to cheat on anybody and tell things that aren't true.

"I want to make clear that it's been a completely personal decision: neither the team, nor Repsol, nor Honda, nor Alberto Puig have put any pressure on me. They even have been insisting one hour ago, in the good sense, to make me continue, but I've made up my mind and it's a decision I have already accepted. I know that a stage in my life ends here, and that life goes on.

"I have achieved very important things in this sport; I have won races and some title. Having the pride of walking around, not only in my country, but also in Spain, and being recognised by people is priceless; it means that you have made things right and above all, that I haven't cheated on anybody. I think that it's better to stop here and keep the best I have achieved, I've won races and I've been runner-up in the Championship, which is one of the best things I have achieved," he concluded.

"I think that Sebasti?n has taken a very important decision and above all that he's been very brave, because there are not many riders who, being in such a privileged position as his, are capable of getting off the bike in the middle of the year considering everything this means," added team manager Alberto Puig. "It's a gesture to be proud of that deserves special respect due to the braveness it involves, doing something like this at this moment.

"As a team we're obviously not happy with it, because Sebas was our main rider; the one with whom we wanted to try and expected to win the championship. But motorbike racing is dangerous; this is not a tennis match or any other similar sport, so you cannot force somebody to get on a bike if he doesn't feel well, because he might get hurt. We have to respect his position, with sadness and a bit of anger, why shouldn't we say it.

"We would have liked this to work out, and all of us who are involved in this project staked for him, both the team and especially Repsol, the driving power behind the project. As regards what the team is going to do now, we really don't know, because we have used-up the very last minute, we even waited for the decision of the rider, and therefore we understand that in this grand prix, Sebas' bike is still Sebas' bike and we'll see what we have to do on Monday," he declared.

"The opinion of Repsol YPF has been to respect absolutely every decision of the rider," said Javier Inclan, sponsorship and motorsports director of Repsol YPF. "We are going to continue with Sebas, supporting him in his projects. We have a company philosophy, according to which we want to continue being bond to the people who have been defending our colours and have then quit their professional career in high level competition.

"Regardless of the decisions he shall take now, we want to continue with him. Repsol is a Spanish-Argentinean company, and the Argentinean ambassador in the world of motor sports has been Sebasti?n Porto and we, at Repsol YPF, hope that it will continue like that," he concluded.