Brett McCormick, 2011 Canadian Superbike champ, won’t be roadracing this season.
McCormick blew everyone else away in the 2011 CSBK series, and made the jump to the supersport class in the World Superbike series in 2012. By the time the season opened, the troubled Liberty Racing team had promoted him to the Superbike team.
Things went downhill from there – while McCormick did well when he actually had a chance to race, his season was mostly spoiled when he crashed after being forced off the track. Then, Liberty Racing’s issues basically put the kibosh on the rest of the season.
On his Facebook page, McCormick said he worked hard to get a deal to race in the 2013 season, but he couldn’t find one that worked.
“I had some talks with a few teams over the past months, but none of them progressed into a deal,” he wrote on Facebook.
“The racing industry is in a tough place right now as everyone knows, and it seems to be getting worse every year. I spoke with teams in WSBK, BSB, AMA and even considered coming back to Canada for a little bit. Like I said, nothing came through for me so I won’t be racing in any series this summer.
“I would love to continue racing for a living, but I can’t justify doing it with the industry like this right now. It’s turned into more riders paying for their rides or riding for free than riders making a reasonable living at it. Having my accident this year really opened my eyes. I race motorcycles because I love it. It doesn’t matter whether I’m racing a local motocross race, or lining up for a WSBK grid, I get the same enjoyment out of it. I’m not prepared to sacrifice all other aspects of my life just to say I’m a professional superbike racer.
“That being said, I plan to race a lot of motocross this summer and keep my skills sharp! I wouldn’t hesitate to race superbikes again if it’s the right situation for me, but at the moment it doesn’t look like that will happen. I’m going back to school while I have this downtime from racing, and going to get that aspect of my life rolling.
[…] year, McCormick announced he wasn’t planning on racing. Instead, he’s been taking classes at the University of […]
You hit me on the right side at statrotech and caused a crash for me when i was teachin my son , but spent time with him in calgary on peddle bikes in the the pits showing him how to wheelie . you found me in the the pits after the race to say sorry and say it was your mistake ! And that is the sign of a true champ ! good luck in the future and all the best is yet to come ! will folow your career as a big fan of someone who loves to ride and has self respect for yourself and does not make decision’s based on making everyone else look succesful, but a chanceto do what we all love to do for the right reason! best of luck Brett .
Sorry to hear that Brett, take care of yourself, I for one enjoyed watching you race, saw you win at Mosport in 2011 to take the Canadian Superbike crown. I’m sure that won’t be your last. Good luck!
Hang in there Brett, we need a Canadian in motorcycle road racing to cheer, but I’m being selfish…Do what you have to do…Like one of my favorite saying goes: “What people think of you is really none of your business”. I hope to see you at a local track one day and shake your hand, you made us all proud!
Brett, keep your gear bags packed and ready to go. Whenever a door closes, another often opens in unexpected places. One of the many riders you beat over the last few years may get injured, opening said door for a talented replacement.
There are so many rewarding ways to live life and I have no doubt Brett will do something great. Good Luck Brett and thanks for the great races.
Smart kid.