Fuchs Kawasaki riders Garry McCoy and Andrew Pitt head to Valencia this weekend eager to end a tough 2003 season on a high.
For McCoy, the Valencia GP - which he won in 2000 - will have added significance because it will mark his final race appearance aboard the Ninja ZX-RR.
The Australian veteran's ninth place in the wet French GP at Le Mans remains the best result by a Kawasaki rider since the marques MotoGP debut just over a year ago, but the season as a whole has been a nightmare for the Slide King.
"I never expected things to be easy during Kawasaki's first year in
MotoGP, but it's fair to say things haven't turned out exactly as I thought they would," he admitted, "Even though this is my final race aboard the Kawasaki, I'll be going flat out as usual and would like to finish the season with my best result."
With Garry yet to announce his 2004 plans, a strong ride on his team green farewell could well be crucial - but he stressed the need to be realistic.
"I've been on the podium twice at Valencia, although I think the team understands that winning like I did here three years ago is beyond the reach of the ZX-RR at the moment," he added. "Like me, the team is very competitive and we all want better results and everyone has worked hard this year getting the ZX-RR project up and running. Kawasaki have thrown all their effort and technology into the project and I'm sure the work will reward them in the future."
Team-mate Pitt scored Kawasaki's first grand prix points for over two decades when he finished twelfth on his debut at Valencia last year, notching up what remains his best result to date. A former World Supersport champion, Pitt has conquered a steep learning curve over the past twelve months, but the Australian is keen to improve upon his personal best finish on his return to the 4km Ricardo Tormo circuit this weekend.
