The World Supersport championship may have acquired WTR Ten 10 as a new entry, but they’ve just lost the long standing Parkalgar Honda team.

The team run by Paulo Pinheiro has decided to withdraw their WSS efforts after six years of racing and 12 wins with former WSS rider Eugene Laverty finishing as runner-up in 2009 and 2010, citing that the pullout is due to the current economic climate.

“It was a difficult but unavoidable decision to take,” said AIA (Portimao circuit) manager Paulo Pinheiro. “Ours was without a shadow of doubt a successful project: our aim was to make Portimao’s Autodromo Internacional do Algarve circuit known throughout the world and in this we succeeded. Nevertheless, without the support of other backers, it was no longer possible to continue with the same conditions and ambitions in 2012. We are grateful to everyone who contributed to the success of the project, as well as the riders who defended our colours over the years: Simone Sanna, Eugene Laverty, Sam Lowes, Josh Hayes and obviously Miguel Praia. A special and sad mention must also go to Craig Jones: we will never forget him, he was an exceptional rider and person.”

Praia who has been with the team since day one said,“I’m really sad at the moment, but at the same time I can consider myself proud to have been part of the project. We started off as the smallest team in the paddock and we reached the top of the category. With Parkalgar Honda I’ve had the best years of my career, they gave me the chance to improve as a rider and get some good results. Unfortunately our efforts have not allowed us to continue in 2012. In Portugal the only sport that has influence is football, everything else takes second best despite the results and the visibility for the country throughout the world. All that’s left for me now is to look for alternatives for the future, my hopes are to continue with Honda and with a competitive project. I’m convinced that it’s still not time for me to stop.”

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That riders have to buy their own way into a ride isn’t a novelty in this current economic climate, but that a team owner publically admits that to get the ride you’ll have to have to pony up the cash to get a place in his World Supersport teams certainly is.

The often controversial Simon Buckmaster, director of Performance Technical Racing Ltd. (PTR), of Parkalgar Honda and Bogdanka PTR World Supersport teams is searching for an aspiring World Supersport Champion to race its bikes in 2012. So if you’re a talented racer and currently out of a job or soon-to-be out of a job and happen to have € 350,000 laying around in your savings account or a personal sponsor who is willing to back you for an entire WSS season, this ‘help wanted ad’ may be right up your alley.

Press release after the jump.

Continue reading: Wanted World Supersport rider with money

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James Ellison has penned a deal with Parkalgar Honda team and will contest in the 2011 World Supersport Championship in a new formed satellite team called PTR Parkalgar Honda.

Ellison is only thirty, but is a two times European Superstock Champion, World Endurance Champion a former MotoGP rider (Harris WCM, Blata, Yamaha Tech3) and has been racing in the British Superbikes championship after doing a stint in the AMA.

“I am very excited to be racing for PTR Parkalgar Honda in the World Supersport Championship, it is a proven race winning team that will give me the bike and opportunity to show what I am capable of. These sort of chances don’t come along everyday and after riding the PTR Parkalgar Honda bike a couple of times I know how fast it really is and that I should be able to compete for wins and the Championship. That is my aim, and the team’s so we share the same ambition. I am looking forward to working with Sam and Miguel, with my experience I hope to be able to help them both realise their full potential. I am determined to show the world what James Ellison is capable of and this is the best opportunity I could wish for, I can’t wait for the season to start.”

PTR Parkalgar Honda Team Manager Simon Buckmaster has also anticipated that he could run a World Superbike team in 2012 depending on Ellison’s results and funding.

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