BLACKBURN Bullet Carl Fogarty says he will walk away from motorbikes if he is unable to secure sponsorship for his superbike team.

The four-time World Superbike champion has been away from the sport for the last year after failing to net funding for a team running customer Ducati's.

And, although he has been confirmed as the official MV Agusta team for next season, the difficulties over finding financial backers are still haunting him.

But he said a life without racing was something he would have no troubles with at all.

"I could take it or leave it, it really doesn't matter to me that much," he said.

"To go back into the World Championship with MV would be fantastic. They've been out of World Championship racing since about 1974 or something like that. They are probably the most famous bikes there is, the Ferrari of the two-wheel world.

"But at the same time, if the money wasn't there to do it, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

"I've been out of it a year this year and I've not had a racing team and it's not bothered me at all."

Fogarty was forced to retire from racing in 2000 after suffering multiple injuries.

A return at the helm of the Foggy Petronas team in the World Superbike Champion-ship had an acrimonious end in 2006.

And Fogarty admitted it was only the thought of working with a high-calibre team like MV that he has even kept up his interest in the sport.

He added: "I'll only go back if there's a good bike and a good team and that's why we're trying to put a deal together with the MV, because it's such a fantastic opportunity.

"But if it doesn't happen, I'll walk away from it and never worry about it again. I've had a year off this year and I've really enjoyed it, being at home and doing what I want to do.

"I've done my bit. I've put my life on the line for 20 years, so I don't need to do it.

"The carrot for me was the MV thing.

"It was such a famous bike and I thought I'd love to go back to racing them.

"Had it not been for that, I wouldn't even have bothered trying to put a race team together for next year."

l Don't miss the big Fogarty interview on Saturday.