Michael Rutter won the Sunflower Trophy race on his Ducati

Michael Rutter has parted company with the North West 200 Ducati team after turning down a managerial role with the Alistair Kennedy-backed outfit.

Under the proposed deal, it would appear that Rutter would only have raced at the North West but not in the British Superbike championship.

Rutter is keen to secure a ride which would cover BSB, North West and the TT.

Meanwhile Mervyn Whyte has indicated that he will hand over his role as clerk-of-the-course after 2009.

Whyte has said that he does intend remaining involved with the event in an advisory and consultancy capacity, and will also be involved in negotiations with teams and riders, plus an ambassadorial role.

The North West Ducati team are likely to unveil European Superstock champion Brendan Roberts as their rider for BSB next season.

It remains to be seen who will ride for the team at the North West 200 in May.

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