Ilmor: We're in it for the long haul.

The new Ilmor SRT MotoGP team will line-up for its second ever race this weekend at Valencia, where it aims to build on its point-scoring debut at Estoril.

Having agreed to ride the brand new 800cc X? as a wild-card entry for the final two races of the 2006 season, Garry McCoy put in a strong and steady performance against the larger capacity 990cc bikes at Estoril - and was rewarded with 15th place and the final world championship point, despite late race electrical problems, which prompted pit stops.

"Valencia is a new track for the bike so I'm looking forward to getting it out on the track and seeing how it runs. I think we'll have a few changes to make after the first practice session," admitted McCoy.

But, following a day and a half of testing at Estoril after the race, Ilmor is confident that Valencia will see a further increase in competitiveness - the machine having qualified 5.060secs from pole at Estoril and lapped within 3.3secs of fastest man Kenny Roberts Jr. in the race.

"We definitely benefited from the race weekend in Estoril and the subsequent testing time that followed," said Ilmor owner Mario Illien. "We still have a lot of work to do but I believe that we're getting there. It's not a quick process and we're in it for the long haul. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do in Valencia this weekend."

"I think we're in better shape for Valencia - we have more consolidation on the engine front and despite being hampered by rain, I think we really benefited from the day and a half testing in Estoril after the race," underlined Ilmor managing director Steve Miller. "I am expecting that we will be relatively slightly faster this weekend - the Valencia circuit might suit the X? better as the main straight is shorter and we can be more nimble on the twistier track rather than relying on straight line speed."

First free practice at Valencia takes place on Friday morning.