McWilliams: We didn't get an advantage.

Ilmor's Jeremy McWilliams has admitted that MotoGP's newest team didn't gain the advantage it hoped for by racing its 800cc motorcycle in the final two rounds of the 2006 season.

Garry McCoy rode an early version of Ilmor's X3 at those events, finishing 15th and last on both occasions, before McWilliams and Andrew Pitt were signed for the full 2007 season - but that early 800 debut doesn't seem to have translated into any form of advantage over the established MotoGP factories, who stuck with 990cc machines until the end of the season.

"We don't have the advantage we thought we would have from racing the 800cc bike at the end of last year," admitted McWilliams, the last British rider to win a grand prix, the 2001 250cc Dutch TT at Assen. "Our times from last season were not too far away but then the other manufacturers have just gone faster. Surprising everyone - I would not have expected them to have built their engines so fast and so well."

To make matters even more complicated, McWilliams broke his femur, collarbone, some ribs and lost a finger in a testing accident at Jerez last November. He only returned to the saddle a couple of weeks ago but will be fit to ride in Saturday's Qatar season opener, although testing form suggests he and Pitt will be rounding out the 23-rider grid.

"Due to my accident in Jerez I haven't had as much time on the bike as I would have liked," said the 42-year-old. "Physically I feel good, my leg is still a little weak but my upper body is really strong and once I'm on the bike I forget about my leg. Losail is a great circuit to ride, it's really technical and quite complicated to ride well so I'm looking forward to the challenge. Let's see what we can do."

"I'm the oldest rider on the grid and delighted to have a second chance although being asked was a bit of a surprise... on a personal note my hunger is still there, probably more than it has been for a year," he concluded.