Mahi Racing Team to shut shop

This comes as a shocker. Mahi Racing Team is on the verge of shutting shop due to lack of funds. Started in 2012, the team has completed just a season-and-a-half and also won the team championship in 2013.

Reports suggest that this decision of temporarily stopping operations was taken due to lack of sponsors. Each race costs around Rs 75 lakh and it was becoming difficult for the team to keep the daily operations running, leave alone thinking of participating in the 2015 races! The Mahi Racing Team reports that it was difficult, convincing Indian companies to partner with them even though the returns on investment were high. 

The two riders: three-time champion Kenan Sofuoglu and 2002 title winner Fabien Foret, have already been released to race for the team of their choice. While Sofuoglu raced for San Carlo Puccetti in the last three rounds and has been signed to ride for the team in 2015, the move to pull the plug has forced Foret to more or less retire from world championship racing.

"Yes, the lack of funds stopped the team from completing the season. That's pretty obvious to people all over the world and our fans still ask how could this be happen to a team such as ours. The plans for 2015 are still open, as we are in the hunt for sponsors right now, but there is not much time at all to set up things for the new season. Though winning the 2013 Team Championship and the manufacturer’s title for Kawasaki must mean something," said Amit Sandil, team principal, Mahi Racing team to Mumbai Mirror.

Currently, most of the sponsors have left the team, only Kawasaki Europe is pumping in money which is not sufficient to run a team.  We wish a miracle happens and the team continues racing.