Byrne To Be Sole Sterilgarda Rider At First Two World Superbike Rounds

So  far, the global financial crisis has mainly affected MotoGP, leaving World Superbikes largely untouched. This is hardly surprising, as World Superbikes is a much cheaper series to compete in, and does not swallow money in the same way that developing the highly strung prototypes in MotoGP does.

But that does not mean that World Superbikes is immune. According to Motoblog.it, the Sterilgarda Ducati team, in an attempt to cut costs, will only be fielding Shane Byrne at the first two rounds of the series, leaving their Italian rider, Alessandro Polita, making the step up from Superstock, at home. "I'm very sorry about the situation, which prevents us from taking Alex," team manager Marco Borciani said. "Unfortunately, business conditions have prevented some of the companies from providing the sponsorship we were expecting for 2009."

The choice to skip the first two rounds of World Superbikes is a logical one, as these are two of the most expensive of the series. The season opener is at Phillip Island in Australia, followed by Losail in Qatar. Leaving one rider at home allows the team to cut costs significantly, saving them the expense of shipping bikes, parts and team members half way around the world.

Polita is expected to be present at the third WSBK round at Valencia, at the beginning of April.