Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Harris WCM, formerly known as Red Bull Yamaha WCM, has signed 22-year-old British racer Chris Burns to ride for the team in the 2003 MotoGP World Championship, say sources in Europe. Harris WCM will race a prototype with a Harris-designed chassis powered by a highly-modified Yamaha YZF-R1 engine.

Burns has experience in the British Superstock series and the FIM 125cc Grand Prix World Championships but is a relative unknown in International racing. However, taking a gamble on an unproven-in-Grand-Prix racer who has shown some talent is nothing new for WCM Director of Racing Peter Clifford. Clifford gambled when he signed Aussie Garry McCoy, who went on to win several 500cc World Championship Grands Prix with WCM, and again on young American John Hopkins, who impressed enough in 2002 to earn a ride on the factory Suzuki MotoGP bike for 2003.