Just hours after wondering why Team Pro Ride Real Game Honda wasn’t present at Assen came the answer; the Italian team has lost not one, but both of their main sponsors – Real Game and Helios – and has ‘temporarily’ withdraw from the championship.
This set-back according to Ing.
Marco Nicotari the CEO of Pro Ride will be temporary (we’ve heard that one before) as they working hard to come back as soon as possible and their commercial department is working on future agreements, confirming that both racing department and on-line shop are active, and they continue to tune bikes to privateers and give track assistance, technical consultancy and services to private teams.
“There’s not much to say.
The only solution is temporarily stop our racing activities in the World Superbikes, avoiding any further damages to the company and to the image of the championship itself.
Anyway I thank both Real Game and Helios for the support.
They are serious companies with whom I hope to work with again in a more stable future.
I also thank Infront to believe in the potentiality of our team, leaving the doors open for a possible restart still on this season.
I thank all our technical sponsors, for giving us official support even if we are a private team.
As an engineer, I founded Pro Ride because I wanted a space to create, to come with new ideas.
I’m not interested in nothing that comes ready or in solutions that come on packages.
When we’ll be once again in conditions to finally prove and develop what we see as the right road, then I’ll get the team together.
Our Honda CBR SBK is a great bike.
The CBR is for me a model made of challenges and new possibilities, that’s why it has been our choice for the past 6 years.
And from this choice we built a unique technical package.
We are Honda and we stay Honda.
” said Nicotari.
Lorenzo Alfonsi who was called in to replace Raffaele de Rosa who quit the team after the first round, managed to race only at the Imola round before the sponsor pullout.
“I’m happy to have made this experience in the World Superbikes with the team Pro Ride.
But as the sponsors decided to leave, there were no economical conditions to move on,” said Alfonsi.
I thank the Team and the sponsors and it is a pity that we cannot keep the project.
I’ll continue racing for the Italian Superstock 1000 Championship and I hope our roads will cross again in the future.
”
