Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

World Championship Motorsports (WCM), the team owned and operated by American Bob MacLean and Brit Peter Clifford, will continue in MotoGP despite Red Bull pulling its support at the end of this season.

That’s the word from Clifford, speaking at Rio today.

“We have every intention of continuing and it’s still our plan to run Moriwaki Hondas,” Clifford told Roadracing World Grand Prix Editor Mat Oxley. “You can’t blame Red Bull, they’ve put in a lot over the last six years, but without a win for the last two.”

Oxley reports that the team asked for a 30% bigger budget to run 4-strokes in 2003.

The team, which is negotiating with a number of potential sponsors, has Garry McCoy and John Hopkins under contract for 2003.

The team, now known as Red Bull Yamaha WCM, has been campaigning YZR500 Yamahas since its inception.

Red Bull has soured on an association with Yamaha in particular and Japanese brands in general and is thought to be planning a 2004 return to MotoGP with KTM, which, like Red Bull, is based in Austria.