Jeremy McWilliams and Andrew Pitt will both return to the MotoGP grid next season, having been confirmed as part of a two-bike line-up at the new Ilmor team.
Despite being injured in a testing crash at Valencia last month, in which he broke his left femur, the Irishman will be back in the arena where he has enjoyed his most high-profile success, after a couple of years out pursuing superbike alternatives. Pitt, meanwhile, moves over from Yamaha Italy's WSBK team, where he struggled to live up to the reputation he had previously forged on the superbike and supersport circuit.
At 42, McWilliams is one of the sport's most experienced riders, but he does not feel that his age will count against him in a field increasingly populated by teenagers.
"I'm very pleased to be part of a new team and, obviously, I'm delighted to be back in MotoGP," he insisted, "With Mario [Ilien] and Ilmor, it's a very different situation. You can see that he's not a man who's used to coming second. He takes his racing incredibly seriously - having spent some time with him and the team, his passion and dedication is evident everywhere. He's a legend but, whilst I know his expectations in terms of hard work are high, he's realistic about what we can achieve over the next year.
"We have a brand new bike and very little testing time - I think we have a very good product to work with, but there is a lot of developing that needs to be done. It's going to take time and it's going to be hard, but I'm really looking forward to it. At the end of the day, that's what MotoGP is all about – hard work. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it!"
Both McWilliams and Pitt have become familiar with the Ilmor X³ SRT having tested the bike at Jerez and Valencia in recent weeks, and were selected not only their proven riding skills, but the invaluable experience they bring to the team.
"As a fledgling team, the main reason behind signing McWilliams and Pitt was for their skills in further developing the overall bike package and making us more competitive as a team," team owner Ilien confirmed, "Both riders come well equipped with a huge amount of experience to bring to the team as we start out. I've said since the beginning of this project that we are on a steep learning curve and I believe that McWilliams and Pitt will really help us begin to make our mark on the grid."
Pitt - at 30, some twelve years younger than his team-mate - clocked up a lot of miles with Kawasaki's MotoGP team back in 2004, and is looking forward to returning to the grand prix scene.
"I'm delighted that everything is confirmed now – I can't wait to get back out on the track," he insisted, "I really feel like I wasn't able to reach my potential before and now I'm lucky enough to get another opportunity with a new team on what promises to be a great bike. You only need to take a quick look around the Ilmor headquarters to see how seriously these guys take things - it dwarfs everything I"ve ever seen before."
