'Renamed' Ilmor completes first 2007 test.

The Ilmor MotoGP team, which raced under the 'Ilmor SRT' banner at the end of 2006 but which is now calling itself simply 'Ilmor GP', completed its first test of 2007 at Almeria in Spain last weekend.

The new team elected to miss the first two MotoGP tests of the year, in Sepang and Philip Island, to focus on getting its bikes ready for a quick European test before heading out to join the rest of the MotoGP fraternity in Sepang for next week's final Malaysian test.

Ilmor have been working hard since the November test in Jerez to improve the engine calibration and increase the bike's control and rideability. Despite being hampered by uncharacteristically bad weather, the team believes it made a positive step forward at Almeria with Andrew Pitt putting the bike through it's paces amid the unusual snow ridden setting.

"It was an unusual test for me, it was snowing as I was out on track," confirmed the Australian, a WSBK race winner in 2006. "It was very cold and too dangerous to really push things but we made some good progress on the engine side of things. I felt more in control of the bike which given the delicate conditions says a lot. I'm looking forward to getting out to Sepang and seeing what we can do in much more favourable circumstances."

"It was without doubt a worthwhile exercise," insisted team manager Mike Janes. "The workload we have had since Jerez has been enormous and we have had to really focus on getting the new team ready for this season. It was unfortunate that we couldn't make it to Sepang earlier this month or Philip Island but it was great to see everyone working together despite the awful weather conditions.

"After some extensive dyno work back at Ilmor, I feel that we have made a big step forward in terms of the engine calibration - the difference between the bike in Jerez and the bike we have out here in Almeria is very significant. The overall engine response is more predictable and controllable.

"The acid test for us will be Sepang next week when we have something more tangible to compare ourselves to. The track conditions should be such that it will be more conducive to good track testing and with Andrew able to push the bike out there, we'll be able to continue along our learning curve in preparation for the forthcoming season."

Following his femur-breaking accident at Jerez in November, Pitt's 2007 team-mate Jeremy McWilliams continues to make good progress with his recovery and hopes to rejoin the team in Qatar during the test in February.

Ilmor is yet to announce the arrival of any sponsors for the 2007 season.