British MotoGP 250 team forced to delay return

The Winona WCM team has been forced to abandon plans to make a return to the world 250 championship at the British MotoGP.

Issues with a proposed sponsorship deal have forced bosses Andy Hyde and Peter Clifford to announce the team won’t be returning for the Donington Park MotoGP clash on June 24, 2007.

Winona WCM had planned to contest the entire 17-round 250 GP series in 2007, but problems with sponsorship forced them to delay entering the championship until Donington.

Having initially signed Dan Linfoot and Kev Coghlan, the failure to start the season saw Coghlan return to the British 125 championship.

Linfoot was hoping to return to action, having contested several European GPs in 2006, with Luke Lawrence.

A statement from the team yesterday morning (Friday) said a sponsorship deal had been signed back in February with a fashion brand to fund the team for the remainder of the season in the world 250 championship.

But the bulk of payment due to arrive in April and May never materialised, and Hyde confirmed the matter is now the subject of a legal dispute with the undisclosed sponsor.

The team had planned to run a special paint scheme at Donington commemorating the 50th anniversary of Bob McIntyre’s 1957 British GP success on the Isle of Man.

Clifford said: “Over the last 15 years we have enjoyed putting a lot of effort behind the Grand Prix careers of young British riders like Neil Hodgson, James Haydon, Chris Burns and James Ellison.

“We want to continue doing that and see this setback as just another challenge to overcome.”