Twickenham biker Simon Low has been forced to pull out of the 2011 British 125cc Championship due to a lack of funding.

Low endured a torrid time last season riding for Team Shop4Bikers/Dutch-2-UK Racing as a string of mechanical problems wrecked his chances as he settled for 29th place in the final standings.

The former Orleans Park School student was keen to ride for Team KRP/BradleySmithRacing in this season’s championships, but has been unable to raise sufficient funds, though he hasn’t given up all hope of competing in the contest yet.

Low and his team need to raise £30,000 to race for one season, though the Twickenham racer may try and enter the series at a later date - and pay for it out of his own pocket.

He said: “I am not able to race due to funding. I’m going to do a few wildcard rounds on the KRP bike and I’m aiming to do the last three rounds with KRP if I can get the money together.

“I could ride a lower championship, but I just don’t think it’s worthwhile. I’m not giving up on it, I just can’t find the funding. I need to get some sponsorship on board.

“I’ll do club races on my own bike and will possibly do the last three rounds of the British Championships.

“We had a bad year last year, racing for the Dutch team, and it just didn’t come together. We had problems with the bike, it was underperforming and not handling well, that was the reality of it. We had a break down in every round and there were engine seizures. In every session, there were mechanical problems, and our best result was 10th.

“But I have no doubt about my own ability. With KRP, I like to think I could be up front.”

Anyone interested in sponsoring Low can contact him through his website at simonlowracing.co.uk