From a press release issued by Team Roberts:

South African GP Preview

Early days for new Proton KR

South African GP is early days for new Proton KR

The South African GP, first of 16 rounds of the 2004 MotoGP World Championship, will be the first race for the second-generation Proton KR V5 machine, hand-built in Britain to challenge the Japanese factories.

Team principal Kenny Roberts, himself a racing legend, is confident that the new machine will show some of its impressive potential. But he admits: “This race is too early for us.”

The gorgeous V5 machine has been through a major upgrade programme in the winter, including a total chassis redesign, using all-new super-accurate fabrication techniques.

At the same time, the top end of the engine was redesigned, to improve the integration of the engine/chassis/airbox package.

“I think people will be impressed when they see the bike for the first time,” said Roberts. “It’s a very nice piece: the best and most integrated motorcycle we have ever built.

“The problem is that so far, the revised motor has not lived up to the performance predicted on the computer simulations. We’re working flat out to find out why, but these things take time.

“For South Africa the engine will only be at 80 percent … not a step forward compared with the first engine. Unfortunately the motor is so integrated with the chassis we can’t run last year’s motor in the new bike,” said Roberts.

“The chassis is very good, as usual – but with the delays in deciding to switch to Dunlop tyres, their new product is not ready either.

“Things will get better. Dunlop assure me they will have new product for the French GP (round three, on May 16), and soon after that we should have the engine up to its full potential. By the Dutch TT at Assen, we hope to move the goalposts,” said Roberts.

Proton Team KR will be fielding two riders as usual, team stalwart Nobuatsu Aoki and class rookie Kurtis Roberts, second son of Kenny.

Kurtis will be making his return to the track after suffering a dislocated shoulder in pre-season testing. He missed the last tests recuperating at home in California.

The South African GP, which first ran at Kyalami in the Eighties, was revived at the Phakisa Freeway outside the gold-mining town of Welkom, south of Johannesburg, in 1999. The track loops around a banked tri-oval circuit in a tight and challenging layout. Special difficulties include a very bumpy surface, often slippery because of dust blown across the track.

The next round is the Spanish GP, opening the European season at Jerez on May 2.

Nobuatsu Aoki – A difficult race
The best thing that I found in testing was the handling and feel of the new chassis. It is a definite improvement. We have other things that are not so good yet. The engine power and throttle response needs to be better, and we also need to improve the tyre performance. I hope Dunlop will be able to make use of the suggestions we’ve made as soon as possible. It means this race will be difficult to get a good result, but I will do the best possible, and we will all keep working.

Kurtis Roberts – Getting back in the flow
I always measure injuries by how they compare with other injuries. The first time I popped my shoulder last year it was worse than this, and I was racing again in two-and-a-half weeks. This time it seemed to recover quicker, but I’m not getting the strength back. I’ve not ridden with it, but I’m shooting for racing in South Africa, even if it won’t be optimum conditions for myself, the bike or the tyres. Leastways when the new development stuff comes in a few races time, I hope to be more in the flow of things. I’ll be there, and I’ll ride, and who knows how it will go.