Moto2: Aegerter dropped after Leopard deal

UPDATE: Dominique Aegerter has released the following statement:

"I can't understand the reaction of the team and it is also hard for me to accept it. I am very, very disappointed. In my opinion, I didn't anything wrong when I signed with another team. This contract includes all the prerequisites I wanted to create for the next season. Apart from this, I have a valid rider contract with my current team, which I would have like to meet it until the end of the season and as always I wanted to give my best during the last races.

"However, it is a very unattractive end of this long-term cooperation. The farewell in this way from my mentor and sponsor, Mr. Oliver Metraux, I feel very sorry for it. On the other hand, together with my manager Dr. Robert Siegrist, we tried everything to fulfill my contract until the end of the season. So I only can hope that there will be something else for the last races this year.

"Regarding my shoulder, I feel better and fit every day. I'm a racer and I don't want to do anything else than to compete in races. The last races should also help me to return to my performance. Anyway, we're not giving up to be back on a racing machine soon."

The CarXpert Interwetten Moto2 team has dropped Dominique Aegerter from its line-up for the remainder of the season, after the Swiss signed for the rival Leopard team.

Earlier this week, Aegerter was surprisingly announced as joining Leopard in 2017, when the team will switch from Kalex to Suter machinery.

It now appears the announcement was also a surprise to Aegerter's current team.

A statement from CGBM Evolution, which runs the carXpert Interwetten (Aegerter, Mulhauser) and Garage Plus Interwetten (Luthi) projects, declared: 'This decision was made following Dominique's signing with another team for the season 2017, while an agreement had been reached with CGBM Evolution a few days earlier',

Nevertheless, CGBM Evolution added they 'would like to thank Dominique for the long collaboration, with highlights including one victory (Sachsenring 2014) and two 5th positions in the Moto2 World Championship overall classification (2013 and 2014), and would like to wish him all the best in his future career.'

There are rumours in the German media that Aegerter, without a podium this season, had been facing pressure to improve his performances, prompting him to look elsewhere.

The 'agreement reached' with CGBM Evolution is also reported to have been verbal, while a return to his favoured Suter machinery next season was seen as critical to Aegerter.

16-year-old Spaniard Iker Lecuona - who replaced the injured Aegerter at Silverstone and Misano, and is due to join the team full-time next year - will take Aegerter's place at the remaining rounds.

With his contractual situation for the rest of the season unclear, Aegerter may yet attend next weekend's Japanese MotoGP...