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Old faithful for McWilliams in Spanish GP
Jerez, May 08: Jeremy McWilliams and team colleague Nobuatsu Aoki will ride the old faithful Proton KR3 500c two-stroke machine in Sunday`s Spanish MotoGP at Jerez.
Jerez, May 08: Jeremy McWilliams and team colleague Nobuatsu Aoki will ride the old faithful Proton KR3 500c two-stroke machine in Sunday's Spanish MotoGP at Jerez.
McWilliams had hoped to finally have a fling on the new four-stroke bike which has been in production since the summer. But despite non-stop work for the past two weeks on the all-new 990cc V5 four-stroke replacement, hopes receded when teething troubles delayed planned roll-out tests in Britain. The Oxfordshire-based team have now decided to continue to campaign the two-stroke until the new bike has completed successful track tests.
"We're getting our new bike done as quickly as we can,'' said team owner Kenny Roberts. ''But we won't put it on the track until it's ready. It's frustrating, but it's what we expected would happen.''
McWilliams was already in Spain awaiting confirmation as to what machine he would be riding, but he is philosophical about the weekend.
''It's obviously a difficult time, but everybody in the team is pulling in the same direction and the goal keeps getting closer,'' said McWilliams. ''I felt in South Africa on the two-stroke, I could have finished in the top ten, and I think I can have the same aim at Jerez.
''Our bike goes well there. But I'm looking forward to testing the new one. That's an exciting prospect.''
McWilliams has now one last chance of harassing the 990cc four-strokes on their slower, but his lighter and nimbler 500cc machine, and another chance to rewrite the two-stroke record books.
In the last round at the South African MotoGP, McWilliams registered another Proton fastest-ever two-stroke lap in qualifying only to be knocked off as innocent victim of a start-line crash.
Bureau Report
McWilliams had hoped to finally have a fling on the new four-stroke bike which has been in production since the summer. But despite non-stop work for the past two weeks on the all-new 990cc V5 four-stroke replacement, hopes receded when teething troubles delayed planned roll-out tests in Britain. The Oxfordshire-based team have now decided to continue to campaign the two-stroke until the new bike has completed successful track tests.
"We're getting our new bike done as quickly as we can,'' said team owner Kenny Roberts. ''But we won't put it on the track until it's ready. It's frustrating, but it's what we expected would happen.''
McWilliams was already in Spain awaiting confirmation as to what machine he would be riding, but he is philosophical about the weekend.
''It's obviously a difficult time, but everybody in the team is pulling in the same direction and the goal keeps getting closer,'' said McWilliams. ''I felt in South Africa on the two-stroke, I could have finished in the top ten, and I think I can have the same aim at Jerez.
''Our bike goes well there. But I'm looking forward to testing the new one. That's an exciting prospect.''
McWilliams has now one last chance of harassing the 990cc four-strokes on their slower, but his lighter and nimbler 500cc machine, and another chance to rewrite the two-stroke record books.
In the last round at the South African MotoGP, McWilliams registered another Proton fastest-ever two-stroke lap in qualifying only to be knocked off as innocent victim of a start-line crash.
Bureau Report