The Foggy PETRONAS Racing rider received a number of offers following two years of impressive displays on the PETRONAS FP1. However, with the PETRONAS sponsorship finishing at the end of this season and with Carl Fogarty’s outfit still closing in on new sponsorship opportunities, the experienced Australian felt compelled to secure a guaranteed ride for next season. Steve said: “This has been an incredibly difficult decision for me to make because I have enjoyed every minute with the FPR team and, in an ideal world, I would have liked to have stayed with them for next season. But the future of Carl’s team is still not clear and I had to make sure I did not miss out on a ride for next season as I still believe that I have a lot to prove and that I am capable of challenging for race wins on competitive machinery. I would like to thank Carl and everyone at the team, PETRONAS and all the fans for their support over the last two years at FPR.” Carl said: “Steve did not want to leave but he also knows that our future is still to be decided so I told him that he should take the ride. He has done a fantastic job for our team and has shown himself to be a real all-rounder, with commitment to racing, qualifying, testing and development of the bike. We all wish him the best of luck for the future.” Riding the 900cc PETRONAS FP1 triple against a field of 1000cc machinery, Steve achieved four front row positions during his time with FPR. He rejoins the DFX team after four years with them prior to joining FPR. He will join forces with rising Italian star Michel Fabrizio riding Honda machines. Steve and team-mate Craig Jones complete the 2006 season at Imola and Magny-Cours in October.