Kiefer Racing are struggling to make the 2020 WorldSSP grid as financing for the project has not been secured.

The squad, which has moved from Moto2, signed Thomas Gradinger and Lukas Tulovic but boss Jochen Kiefer said the lateness of their grid slot confirmation means everything else has been delayed.

“We find ourselves in an unpleasant situation. Due to the late confirmation of the requested spots for the entry list, we couldn’t launch our new project and to start with the concrete implementation earlier,” he said.

“The financing is therefore not yet secured, as it is hardly possible to find bigger sponsor agreements in the normal course of business at the end of November and in December. Most companies have already planned their advertising budgets at this time.

“Nevertheless, we had no choice but to start with the preparations. Immediately after the rider’s presentation, we ordered the race machines at Yamaha. On technical side and regarding the operational procedure we’ve made a lot of progress meanwhile. But from an economic point of view, a lot of things are still shaky.

“We want to continue to act seriously and always keep our agreements. Kiefer Racing can count on long-standing partners. With the move to WorldSSP many of them want to remain loyal to us, albeit with less support, which is understandable. Others, on the other hand, have denied their commitment from the outset, as they sometimes have commitments with other partners in Grand Prix racing, or their interest simply lies there.

“With barely two weeks to go before the first tests in Spain and Portugal, our budget is not yet secured. However, we’re not giving up hopes and we’re working tirelessly to secure the operation costs for the entire season at 100 percent. We’ve already written people in charge at Dorna and Yamaha to ask them for any start-up aid so that we can start the season as originally planned.

“We’re really sorry for Thomas and Lukas that they now have to fear for the continuation of their career at world championship level. We all have approached this project with great determination. So, it would be a terrible pity if everything collapsed so shortly before the actual kick-off.”