World Superbike privateer team of 2009 will not be competing in the 2010 Season.

The Stiggy Honda racing team announced it will not compete in either the World Superbike or Supersport Championships in 2010. The team cited economic difficulties as the reason for its withdrawal.

Named for its owner, former Grand Prix racer Johan Stigefelt, the Stiggy Racing team has been a constant in the World Supersport paddock since 2005. After earning its best overall result in 2008, Stiggy Racing opted to compete in both the World Supersport and Superbike classes in 2009.

Racing for Stiggy Honda, Leon Haslam was the highest placing privateer racer, finishing sixth in the Championship, right between factory Hannspree Ten Kate Honda racers Jonathan Rea and Carlos Checa. During the season, Stiggy Honda also employed American racers John Hopkins and Jake Zemke, and Italian racer Roberto Rolfo. Their combined efforts placed Stiggy fifth overall in the team standings.

Stiggy Racing’s Supersport team had equal success in 2009, finishing fifth overall on the strength of riders Anthony West (seventh) and Gianluca Vizziello (18th).

The team’s success in the two classes came at a price however as competing in the two classes was a financial drain contributing to the decision not to race in 2010. The biggest blow was the loss of the team’s financial partner S2 Racing at the start of October. In the weeks following the S2 Racing split, Stiggy Racing announced it would not retain Haslam in 2010. The team also chose not to enter West in the season finale in Portimao, Portugal.

“Economic difficulties have made it impossible for us to finish the season the way we wanted,” Stigefelt said ahead of the Portimao round. “Yet again I have been forced to take drastic measures and had to cut Anthony for the last race. This is a very bad situation I have been put in and if I could solve the problems in a different way I would; this was really a last resort solution.”

Though his team will not be competing, Stigefelt won’t be absent from the series in 2010. Stigefelt has reportedly signed on as technical director for the new Retwagen BMW satellite team.

An official team statement read;

‘The Stiggy Racing Honda team has over its five years of participation been very successful, but nevertheless found itself put in a difficult economic situation and has been forced to withdraw from the World Superbike and World Supersport championships in 2010.

The decision has been made after a close evaluation of the team’s poor economic situation, which was created during this year’s expanded venture by participating in both championship classes, a huge financial project that was poorly executed by the team’s investors as a result of failing to fulfil their financial commitments for the 2009 season.

The Stiggy Racing Honda team has since its beginning shown great potential, starting up in 2005 in the Supersport class, slowly building its ground in the championship and year-by-year advancing to finally set a solid mark as a top contender. The team managed its best result in 2008 by finishing third in the Supersport championship with Joshua Brookes.

Being a private team in a championship like Superbike – consisting of seven factory teams – means not only stiff competition on-track but also an immediate financial weakness, making it very difficult to survive without solid financial back-up and support.

Despite financial disadvantages, the team has been able to achieve incredible performances in its Superbike rookie year, debuting the season with a third-place podium finish and repeating another three podium places during the season including eleven top five finishes – giving Leon Haslam the title of best privateer rider in sixth place in the championship. The team ended the year as the fifth-best ranked team in both SSP and SBK classes in 2009.

‘[This was] a magnificent result by everyone involved with the Stiggy Racing Honda team since its beginning – an achievement to be proud of and one that allows it to finish its career with heads held high.’

thanks to:
motorcycle.com and worldsuperbikenews.co.uk