Puzzled Ryde aims to stay in World Supersport
Kyle Ryde says he still doesn't have any answers why his Team Ranieri Med SC Racing squad withdrew its entry to the World Supersport championship but is keen to remain in the series in 2016.
The former British Supersport challenger made the full-time step up to the international series over the winter with the team but just days after the fifth round at Imola he has found himself without a ride when the team unexpectedly pulled out of the series.
Ryde says he still hasn't been told why the team has exited World Supersport and is frustrated to lose his race seat just as he was finding his rhythm.
"I found out on Monday and it was an email to my manager. I was gutted to start with but it is what it is," Ryde said. "Still to this point there hasn't been a reason why it has been put to a stop.
"I thought I was doing alright after the first five rounds with a new team and new suspension. I had a few big crashes and it was difficult finding my feet but I thought slowly but surely I was getting there. There is no reason why this has happened but for now I've got to take it on the chin.
"To start off now we just need to fix what has happened now, understand why it has happened and hopefully find something else."
Ryde, who won the British Superstock 600 champion in 2014 before finishing runner-up to Luke Stapleford in British Supersport last season, is hoping to remain in the World Supersport championship and has ruled out a potential return to former squad PacedayZ Trackdays Yamaha.
"World Supersport is where I needed to be to keep progressing and keep learning but we didn't expect this to happen but now it has happened," he said. "Any championship you want to be in you want to be at the top and if you do enter anything else you are going to be at the bottom.
"I was really looking forward to Sepang because it is a lot like Phillip Island, a lot of fast corners and very wide and at some stages at Phillip Island I was in the top five. I was hoping it was going to be the start of some decent top tens but this has happened and we've got to move forward."
This latest split sees the top two from British Supersport who graduated to the international series this winter change from their respective race seats just a handful of rounds into their rookie campaigns.
Stapleford ended his partnership with CIA Landlords Insurance Honda after just two rounds but has returned to WSS with his BSS-winning Profile Racing Triumph at Assen.
Ryde says he's surprised by recent events but is happy to see Stapleford return to racing after his split and hopes he can follow suit as soon as possible.
"It is not what we expected," he said. "Obviously Luke Stapleford took a gamble where he went and there are no wrong things of what Simon Buckmaster is doing but Luke didn't get on with them and wanted to go his own way. That is good for him and good that he is still there, at Assen he was in the top three in the dry, and that is exactly where I want to be. Hopefully we will get back and get to race together again."
