Steve Martin leaves FPR

Foggy Petronas rider Steve Martin has jumped ship and signed for rival WSB squad DFX racing. The Swiss-based Australian will partner up and coming Italian rider Michelle Fabrizio in the Frankie Chilli managed team. DFX will again run Hondas in WSB.

The move, according to the latest press release from FPR, comes with the full blessing of Carl Fogarty who was unable to make Martin a concrete offer for next season. Fogarty and a team of sponsorship experts have been chasing backing for several months but, as yet, nothing is signed or sealed. The five-year contract with Malaysian petro-chemical giants Petronas expires at the end of the 2006 season.

Craig Jones, FPR's second rider, is also considering his options and is talking to several other teams in BSB, WSB and WSS but as yet nothing is finalised. If the rumour mill is to be believed, Jones will ride a Crescent GSX-R1000 at the Mallory Park Race of the Year in October. You heard it here first...