From a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

PROTON SEEK SURPRISE FACTOR AT PACIFIC GP

Proton Team KR riders Jeremy McWilliams and Nobuatsu Aoki are hoping to find some surprises at the Twin Ring Motegi, venue for the Pacific GP, and the first of a gruelling trio of far-flung flyaway races for the MGP circus.

The circuit, carved out of the mountains an hour or two away from Tokyo, has a simple stop-and-go layout, that on the face of it favours machines with the emphasis on sheer horsepower and acceleration. That is not only the new-generation 990cc four-strokes, but also the four-cylinder 500cc two-strokes that also contest the class.

The Proton KR3, a lightweight three-cylinder 500cc two-stroke, takes the opposite approach, concentrating on good braking and very high corner speed, at the expense of brute power.

But at Le Mans, the somewhat similar venue for the French GP, the two silver Protons far exceeded downbeat expectations, achieving a pair of top-ten finishes, with Aoki in fifth, the best result of the season so far.

“You just don’t know what to expect, with the new series,” said team manager Chuck Aksland. “With the bike and our two riders going so well, we can definitely hope for another pleasant surprise at Motegi.

“This year, we’ve been on both sides of the surprises. We’ve had some good results at tracks where we didn’t expect to go well, but also some reliability problems that meant we haven’t always achieved the results we expected.

“Motegi is the home race for Nobu, and for Bridgestone tyres. Both will be putting in a special effort, and I’m sure Bridgestone will bring some good tyres for the track,” continued Aksland.

Both riders would be using the standard chassis, with the development chassis used in the middle of the season now consigned to the past. “That chassis was completely different in the approach to the rear suspension geometry. It had a lot of advantages, which we have been able to incorporate into the standard chassis.

“It also inspired a lot of thought and creativity with our engineers, and we learned a great deal from it … so it definitely served its purpose,” said Aksland.

The only question mark concerned Jeremy McWilliams, who sustained a collarbone fracture when he fell in wet conditions at the Rio GP in Brazil. With just two weeks between the races, the Ulster rider has been receiving intensive physiotherapy in a battle to be fit. He is determined to race, but even he was not certain whether he would be up to putting in 100 percent effort.

The Pacific GP is the second race of the season in Japan, and the 13th of 16 rounds this year. Racing goes on without a break over the next two weeks, with the Malaysian GP at Sepang one week after Motegi, and the Australian GP at Phillip Island the next weekend, before the season finishes at Valencia two weeks later.


JEREMY McWILLIAMS – I’LL GIVE IT MY BEST
“I’ve been doing physio every day since I got back from Brazil, but I still can’t do much with my arm. The best thing is I have an excuse to go to Japan a day later … to keep on with the physio. I can’t see that I’ll give it 100 percent, but I can’t really afford to miss a race. I’ll be riding, and I’ll be giving it my best. Even without the injury Motegi might have been tough for us. But I always push myself, and we’ll see what happens.”


NOBUATSU AOKI – THE JAPANESE MATERIAL WILL WORK
“Motegi is my second home GP, and also for Bridgestone. I hope all the Japanese material works well for my team! Unfortunately, Motegi could be pretty tough for the Proton. The corners are joined by drag-strips, and we need more push from the engine. But I hope the tyres will help, because our bike can go onto the straights faster than the other ones.”