GSE quits World Superbikes.

Following the statement of intent issued in the aftermath of the Dutch round of the Superbike World Championship, GSE team principal Darrell Healey has confirmed that his operation will be quitting the Superbike World Championship at the end of the 2003 season.

GSE Racing has achieved notable success in both British and World Superbike Championships over the past seven years, and nurtured both Troy Bayliss and Neil Hodgson to winning the BSB in 1999 and 2000 respectively. Both then went on to become WSBK champions with Ducati Corse.

However, GSE has not succeeded in its ambition of securing full manufacturer support at world championship level in 2002-03, which it saw as the next logical step in its quest for continued success. As a result, Healey has decided not to continue in its support of the WSBK after the 2003 series' French finale at Magny-Cours on 19 October.

"The current situation surrounding the future of the Superbike World Championship has created a vacuum which has resulted in the demise of any future interest that GSE Racing may have in the series," Healey explained, "We are unable to proceed with Ducati, and there are no other manufacturer options open to us at this stage, due to the uncertainty surrounding the series.

"It would appear that MotoGP is attracting the interest of the leading manufacturers and, therefore, the future of international motorcycle racing lies in that class. I don't feel that GSE Racing, the other top teams and the manufacturers in Superbike have been consulted in what I would consider to be an appropriate manner. This has resulted in a position of stalemate which, in effect, has prevented the team in moving forward.

"GSE Racing is currently assessing its future position. There are a number of exciting opportunities open to us, and I hope that we will be in a position to make a further announcement about this in the near future. We may be quitting the World Superbike racing scene, but the future could still be a bright one within motorsport and the motorcycle industry at large. GSE Racing has been the number one British team over the past five years and the high level of expertise contained within the team should provide us with a stable platform for the future.

"On behalf of everyone associated with the team, I would like to thank my colleagues within the GSE Group for their support of GSE Racing. In addition, we are indebted to the support that Ducati Corse and HM Plant have shown to the team, particularly during our three-year stint in World Superbikes.

"And, finally, I would like to express our sincere appreciation to Dunlop and all the other sponsors, suppliers and staff who have helped us throughout our Superbike racing career. Without them, our success story to date would not have been possible."