Yamaha Motor Europe har beslutat att lägga ner sitt officiella team i Superbike-VM efter årets säsong.

Tillkännagivandet kommer som en följd av företagets genomgripande strategiska översyn som gjorts på "Marketing Operations" i Europa, inklusive alla motorsportaktiviteter och med hänsyn till den minskade försäljningen av motorcyklar i Europa.

Yamaha meddelar att de kommer att fokusera sina resurser på mer "direkta kundaktiviteter för att skapa mervärde till Yamaha-ägare och ökad kundnöjdhet."

Här nedan följer Yamahas pressmeddelande:

Yamaha Motor Europe N.V. (YME) has decided to withdraw their official Yamaha World Superbike Team at the end of the current season from the FIM Superbike World Championship.

This announcement follows a full strategic review of the Marketing Operations within Europe including all Motorsport activities and takes into account the continuing severe and rapidly changing Powered Two Wheeler market conditions throughout the region.   Due to this decision more resource and focus will now be used for direct “Customer“ activities to ultimately add more value to Yamaha ownership and increased Customer Satisfaction.

YME would like to express their sincere thanks and appreciation for the total commitment, support, and passion shown by the extremely professional and dedicated riders and team members both past and present throughout the many years of participation in the FIM Superbike World Championship.

YME would also like to thank all the highly valued business partners and suppliers who have in-turn supported the team and in addition would like to thank Infront Motorsports, the FIM Superbike World Championship promoters. YME has chosen this timing of announcement to ensure that all existing obligations are correctly met, and to not limit any opportunities or future planning for all personnel involved.

Riders Marco Melandri and Eugene Laverty are currently respectively 3rd and 4th in the overall 2011 FIM Superbike World Championship standings for riders with 4 rounds to go. YME and the team will continue to give its maximum efforts until the end of the existing season to try and regain the World Superbike title which Yamaha also won in 2009.