Disappointing farewell for Foggy Petronas.

Foggy Petronas Racing's final races in the Corona Extra Superbike World Championship ended in disappointment at Magny-Cours on Sunday.

Craig Jones finished just 17th in the first race, but engine failures meant that neither he, nor team-mate Steve Martin, were able to complete race two - which marked the end of the five-year Petronas FP1 project.

"The racing hasn't always gone as planned over the last couple of years but I am happy to have spent that time with such a brilliant team," said Martin, who has spent two seasons with FPR but will move to DFX Honda for 2007. "I would like to thank Petronas for having the ambition to take on such a challenging project, Carl for putting his faith in me as a rider, and everyone who has supported the team. We have never stopped trying throughout and it was disappointing that we could not end on a more positive note today."

"It has been a really tough year but I think I have learnt a lot," added Jones, currently unsigned for 2007. "It has been a very big step for me to come to World Superbikes and I would like to thank Petronas, the team and Carl for giving me the opportunity. I want to be back in World Superbikes next year, put everything I have learnt to good use and show everyone what I can do."

Speaking after the FP1's last ever race, team owner and former four-times WSBK champion Carl Fogarty summed up the ambitious five-year project - which yielded two pole positions and two podiums during four seasons of world championship racing.

"I want to thank Petronas for all their support throughout this unique project," began the Briton. "From the very first day we knew we were taking on a big challenge, to compete against the established motorcycle manufacturers. While we were all hoping for better results, the achievements of this project have been considerable, especially when considering the fact that the 900cc Petronas FP1 has been racing against 1000cc machines for reasons outside of the project's hands.

"I have been proud of the efforts of my team over these four years and, while today was a disappointing finale, the same effort was there until the very last minute. Steve has done as much as he could over his two years with us and Craig has learnt a lot for what will hopefully be a bright future for him. The support from fans has also been incredible and I think they have all appreciated how hard we have battled for our results.

"My team has developed a reputation for professional excellence and I am very confident that this reputation will help us attract a sponsor for 2007 and beyond so that we can continue to chase racing success," he concluded.

Foggy Racing is still seeking a replacement for Petronas, in order to fund the purchase of alternative machinery and finance the team's racing activities during 2007 and beyond.

As well as Martin (2005-2006) and Jones (2006), Garry McCoy (2005), Troy Corser (2003-2004), Chris Walker (2004) and James Haydon (2003) rode for Foggy Petronas Racing. Corser was the team's most successful rider, with two pole positions and a second place finish, while Walker took the team's first podium with third at the 2004 Valencia season opener.