Foggy’s team in the shop window at Brands Hatch
Carl Fogarty intends to use Foggy PETRONAS Racing’s
final outing on British soil at Brands Hatch this weekend
to help secure the long-term future of his team.
The five-year deal with Malaysian petroleum giants PETRONAS
runs out at the end of this season and Foggy is currently
looking for new sponsors for 2007 and beyond.
Riders Steve Martin and Craig Jones take to the Kent circuit
for the eighth round of the Superbike World Championship knowing
the odds are stacked against their 900cc PETRONAS FP1 triples
in a field of 1000cc machinery.
But Carl is confident that the determination and professionalism
his team has shown in their four years of racing will prove
an attraction for new backers.
He said: “In some ways it will be emotional to appear
for the last time in the UK as Foggy PETRONAS Racing. But
we are very much in the shop window this weekend and I am
sure that everyone will see that we are still putting as much
effort into our final few races as we have throughout this
project.
“We have developed a fantastic infrastructure throughout
this project and this would be at the disposal of any new
venture, although it is still too early to say in which series
or with which manufacturer we will be racing next year as
we have yet to secure a new sponsor.”
This is also a key weekend for young British rider Craig
Jones, who is hoping that months of development work will
bear fruit at a track he knows well.
Craig said: “After getting a good
set-up at recent tests I am really looking forward to going
to a track I know well and putting that experience to good
use. One of those tests was at Brno which, like Brands, is
undulating so hopefully the suspension settings will be similar
and the lap times will come. I wasn’t quite ready to
try to run in the top 10 at Silverstone but I do not think
I will be far away here and I definitely want to get into
Superpole for the first time. My times in British Supersport
last season were only 1.5 seconds off Haga’s best lap
here, so if I can repeat those times I will be challenging
for good points.”
Steve said: “Brands Hatch is the track
which is closest in lay-out to Phillip Island, our strongest
circuit, as there are not many stop-go corners. So it should
suit our bike more than most circuits. I was taken out in
the second race here last year so the first thing I am hoping
for is two finishes, which I haven’t had since Valencia.
The next aim is to finish in a good points-scoring position.
Qualifying is one of the bike’s stronger points so I
am also hoping for a good grid position. The weather can also
be unpredictable in the UK and this may also help level the
playing field this weekend.”
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