Fickle Pourcel Pulls Out Of Latvia

It's been a strange season already for professional motorcycle racer Christophe Pourcel, and it's about to get even more weird - the rider has announced that he and his team will be skipping the Latvian GP, part of the World Motocross Championship, to focus on the following race, in Belgium.

Pourcel began the season not signed to any team, then partnered up with MotoConcepts Yamaha in the AMA Lucas Oil Motocross Series. In his first moto, he pulled off the track and rode off to the pits. His second moto lasted just four laps before he again pulled off.

Pourcel then did not show up for his scheduled testing during the week, nor did he show up for the second race of the season. Needless to say, the rider and team parted ways.

Yet Pourcel eventually landed with CLS Monster Energy Kawasaki in World Motocross. However, he's been up to his old tricks again - pulling out of his first two motos and complaining about bike settings. Thus, the team has decided to take the Latvian GP off, fix the problems, and come back strong for Belgium.

"For sure it has been a tough decision, but we're convinced that it was the best one," said team owner Jean Jacques Luisetti in a press release. "Since he is back on a bike after his terrible accident four years ago, Christophe is very demanding about the bike settings and we still have to work."