Honda make fall guy of Walker

Chris Walker, the leading British rider in the 500cc Grand Prix Championship, has been jettisoned by his Shell Advance Honda team at the half-way stage of a debut season blighted by consistent crashing and resultant injuries.

An attempt was made by the Australian outfit to disguise his withdrawal from this weekend's German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring, citing the concussion Walker sustained in a high-speed fall at Assen earlier this month. The rider, however, insists that he is fit to race and that the termination of his two-year deal was based on budgetary considerations.

"I was having to learn to ride a new bike on new tyres at a new circuit every week. However, with the right support from my team I knew that it would only be a matter of time before I was riding at a competitive level," Walker said. "Unfortunately, they have decided to replace me without really giving me the time to adapt to riding a 500, which was an agreed part of my original deal."

Eyebrows were raised when Walker, four times a runner-up in the British Superbike Championship, made the switch to grand prix racing. While his rival from last season, Neil Hodgson, has profited from taking the more predictable path on to the World Superbike stage, Walker has struggled to master the more volatile 500cc machinery and lies 18th in the standings with just nine points.

After eight rounds, the 28-year-old has crashed 12 times and was on course to challenge an unenviable record of 24 falls in a campaign, set by Carlos Checa. The five-times world champion Michael Doohan, who endured similar problems in his own first season at 500cc level, had recently been detailed by Honda to work closely with Walker in an attempt to reverse the trend.

Walker's ride on the four-cylinder NSR500 will be taken by the 18-year-old Leon Haslam, who has impressed Honda with a mature start at 500cc level. Replacing Haslam on the vacated V-twin is another 18-year-old, the Australian Brendan Clarke, completing the youngest-ever team at this level.