Today we noticed a remarkable post of the Standing Construct Husqvarna Factory team on Instagram in which they posted a photo of the new MXGP Magazine with the text added: “speaking of timing”…
As we already heard some rumours through our Dutch contacts we decided to call the Standing Construct Husqvarna team owner, Tim Mathys to ask him for an explanation.
To our big surprise we learned that the team got told this week the sad message that their riders and the team’s contracts won’t be extended by Factory Husqvarna.
According to Mathys the Austrian Factory is very happy with what the team achieved this year as well as in the past with their different brands but due to the current economical crisis the board decided to cut the budget and to not extend all current ending contracts.
“Of course this comes as a big surprise”, Mathys told GateDrop.com, “especially after having the results we got and some meetings in Arco di Trento and Maggiora with responsibles of the Factory who praised the work we are doing. As we have been working very hard the past years, developing and making our own engines and I dare to say running one of the most powerful teams in MXGP it is a big blow for myself and even more for my crew who worked their asses of to become the team which we are now”.
“Also for Pauls, who is this year, 11 years under contract with the Austrian brands, it is very unpleasant and shocking news. We are told they expect some difficult times in the motor sales and that that’s the reason why current ending contracts aren’t extended”.
“What concerns the future of our team I can’t give you any concrete answer now”, Mathys said. “In everything I did in life I worked hard, invested a lot and gave it all the passion I had to become better and better and achieve the highest level possible. Now taking a step back to become again a private team in MXGP maybe wouldn’t change a lot for our team in performance, as we do and develop everything ourselves concerning bikes etc… and also financially we are one of the teams that are lucky to have some external good financial partners, but the fact itself wouldn’t fit in that life philosophy”.
It would be very sad to lose such a brilliant team in the MXGP paddock, a team where all the riders rode for got great results and which always had a professional appearance in the paddock. Also for MXGP in general losing again two rider seats is very bad news for the future.
Article: Andy McKinstry
Pic: Husqvarna
