Following his decision to ride a rival manufacturer's machine at the Donington Park World Superbike event, Peter Hickman has breached his agreement with MSS Bathams Kawasaki.

Neither the team nor Kawasaki Motors UK agreed to release the rider and the decision has been made to dispense with his services with immediate effect. Nick Morgan Team Manager of MSS Bathams Kawasaki, explained that this was a regrettable yet wholly necessary course of action.

"I have always believed that an agreement - whether in written form or even a handshake between two parties - is binding and, in my opinion, implies a high degree of mutual respect. In breaking this, we regard our agreement as void. We will now actively look for a replacement rider to compete alongside Michael Rutter to continue to give the Ninja ZX-10R good results and exposure. As a team we wish Peter every success for the future."

.