MotoGP pilots Tetsuya Harada and Jeremy McWilliams are amongst a group of riders currently taking part in private tests at the
Jerez circuit, Spain. Harada made his debut appearance in Honda colours whilst McWilliams and team-mate Nobuatsu Aoki took to the track for the first time on the Proton KR.
Harada was satisfied with his initial contact aboard the two stroke NSR500 machine he will ride throughout the 2002 season in the MotoGP class. "I am very impressed with the Honda NSR and feel I am riding smoothly already," said Harada, after lapping under the guidance of his new Pramac sponsored team. "We are just trying to get a feel for the bike and testing some steering settings, but we will not be focusing too much on the set-up of the bike. This season we will be competing on brand new evolution 2002 models which will be available for the next test, so at the moment the idea is just to get a feel for the Honda and get some laps under my belt."
Dust created by construction work currently underway at the Spanish circuit meant that conditions were not perfect for tyre testing but Mc
Williams, using
Bridgestone tyres, was certainly not complaining. "I don't mind what parts we're trying out or where we are - I'm just glad to be on a bike and testing so early in the year," said the British rider. "It's early days but so far I'm very impressed with the Proton. I didn't know what to expect at all but the chassis is extremely good and the bike is very comfortable to ride."
McWilliams' team-mate Aoki was also pleasantly surprised by the performance of the 3 cylinder machine. "The chassis is incredible – so comfortable," he said. "I tested the tyres all last year so I know them very well. Now I am able to work on the machine settings too and I am having a lot of fun."
