The Spanish team revealed the reasons for this decision are strictly finance-related, as the economic crisis made it harder for them to continue pumping money into their MotoGP operations. As a consequence of that, the team will terminate all actions in the championship with immediate effect.
“Grupo Francisco Hernando will not complete the 2009 season. The reasons for this termination is the world's crisis. The Group has decided to concentrate on its investments, focusing all its efforts in its projects as a promoter and constructor,” said a statement from the Spanish team earlier today.
That means Sete Gibernau's return in the MotoGP will also come to an unfortunate end prior to this weekend's German Grand Prix, at the Sachsenring. The Spaniard had made his comeback in the series after a 2-year absence, but was unable to score any impressive results throughout the first 8 rounds of the season. In addition, he also missed a round of this year's MotoGP – Mugello – following an injury during the Le Mans race.
“The first person who is surprised by this decision is me. We have fought a lot to make this project work. To me it was a brave bet, built from the hope from a team with a target that we were meeting. It's a real shame to quit,” Gibernau was quoted as saying to Spanish newspaper AS, as reported by Autosport.
Under the circumstances, the MotoGP caravan will only tackle the Sachsenring race with 16 bikes. No manufacturer has yet announced its will to field 3 bikes for the upcoming race, although such a move may become possible from the German GP onwards.
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