Strange things are afoot in motorcycle racing, not least of all caused by the global financial crisis - but none of them mean the end of racing as we know it.

We have rumours of Honda's reduced short-, mid- and long-term involvement in MotoGP doing the rounds, spurred on by the factory's recent announcement that it was pulling out of F1.

Honda bosses have been quick to reassure everyone that they will remain in MotoGP, but they have also spoken out recently about how many fewer motorcycles they are going to sell over the coming year, too.

Something may have to give somewhere. Of course, the factory's huge investment and interest in motorcycling racing is down more to the several hundreds of millions of pounds it makes as a company than how many motorcycles it sells, but the two are obviously linked in both a creative and passionate way.

The Honda involvement in World Superbikes seems sturdy though. The main team there is the Ten Kate set-up, run by Ronald and Gerrit Ten Kate. They have been, and continue to be, something of a satellite squad, getting some assistance from Honda, but maybe not quite as much as people would like to think.

Where the current situation plays well for the Ten Kate lads is that their team has been run as a separate, stand-alone concern for years. They are not based on big handouts or financial backing from a manufacturer so the problems and blips that might affect others may not be felt quite so sharply by them in the immediate future.

Long-term finances may be squeezed by the economic downturn, but if that happens the Ten Kate boys have enough experience , flexibility and intelligence to deal with it and keep on racing.

But it is in the British Superbike Championship that the first rumbling of a big factory not racing next year is being felt, with Ducati not represented in the big bike class next season.

Both Team GSE and the North West 200 concerns have found favour elsewhere for 2009. The GSE boys have signed with Yamaha and will field the four-cylinder machines for the next three years - in 2009 they will take to the track in Airwaves colours, which shows that the Wrigleys people value the series - while the North West 200 backing has moved with Michael Rutter to one side of the Rob Mac Racing set-up.

So while there has been some gnashing of teeth and prophecies of doom and gloom around our sport, it would appear that even when factory bosses decide that they don't want to take part in something for a season, the riders, money and passion to keep racing will find a way through.

As well it should.