Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Red Bull Yamaha WCM will probably run Dunlop tires on the team’s YZR500 Yamahas in the 2002 MotoGP World Championship.

That’s the word from tests at Sepang, Malaysia that saw Garry McCoy lap under the record of 2:06.618 set by Valentino Rossi earlier this year.

The team has competed on Michelin tires for the last several seasons.

Meanwhile, McCoy’s young teammate John Hopkins, still adjusting to the YZR500 and the Sepang racetrack, was happy to lap faster during the tests than arch-rival Kurtis Roberts did when Roberts raced in the Malaysian Grand Prix in October.

Both riders completed the three days of testing (on December 3-5) without incident.

Lap times follow:


Monday, McCoy, 2:06.72
Monday, Hopkins, 2:10.72

Tuesday, McCoy, 2:06.27
Tuesday, Hopkins, 2:09.52

Wednesday, McCoy, 2:06.40
Wednesday, Hopkins, 2:08.53