Howie Mainwaring-Smart will leave the Smiths BMW MCE British Superbike squad at the end of this weekend’s Thruxton round but could still race tomorrow.

The decision was taken mutually between the Aylesford rider and Team Manager Rebecca Smith following today’s third Free Practice session which saw Howie end up 31st, missing out on Datatag Extreme Qualifying.
 
However, whether Mainwaring Smart will take his place on the grid for tomorrow’s two races is pending, whereby the team will be happy to field him as well as other riders Jakub Smrz and Luke Stapleford, if he so wishes.

“Everything we've tried this year hasn't worked for whatever reason and I just haven't gelled with the BMW so it's not fair of me to waste the team's time. I'm a bit embarrassed as we should be achieving a lot more, definitely top 15 and maybe even top tens,” he said.

“The most frustrating aspect is that we've all worked incredibly hard but haven't been able to pinpoint the main problem. It's difficult to stand down and the last thing I wanted to do was walk away but it's time to take a step back and see where we go from here.

“I’ve got to say a massive thank you to Alan and Rebecca Smith for giving me such a great opportunity and also to the team who have never stopped working for me from day one. My own personal sponsors have been massively supportive and desperate for me to get results so I'd like to publicly thank them also."