Rob Mac Racing to skip 2012 BSB season

Rob McElnea has announced his eponymous British Superbike Championship team will skip the 2012 season in a bid to come back stronger in the future.

Rob Mac Racing, which has competed under the guise of Motorpoint Yamaha for the last three seasons, had secured renewed backing from the car supermarket company for 2012, but McElnea says he wants to take time out to focus on future proposals in an effort to give his sponsors a better return.

McElnea's decision comes after a troublesome 2011 season, which started brightly with young Frenchman Loris Baz showing front-running pace, only for the youngster to withdraw mid-season due to funding issues.

With McElnea choosing to drop James Westmoreland shortly afterwards, Motorpoint Yamaha ended the season with the revised line-up of Alex Lowes and Tommy Bridewell, but both struggled to make a significant impression.

"It has been a tough decision but the right one after a difficult season, where it was frustrating to be unable to secure a good return for our backers in terms of results," he said. "We all go to racing to be part of a show and I want to ensure our team performs not only for the fans, but also for our sponsors too.

"I felt the options available to us would mean another tough season with difficult challenges so, I feel it is the best decision to re-evaluate our position during our 2012 sabbatical and hopefully come up with a storming proposal for the future. Motorpoint have been great supporters and are understanding of my decision. I want to thank all my team and partners for their commitment over the last 20 years!"