New Proton Team KR riders Jeremy McWilliams and Nobuatsu Aoki made their first acquaintance with the Proton KR3 machines they will ride in the forthcoming MotoGP season - and both came away full of enthusiasm after matching the three-cylinder lightweight's best lap times at the Spanish GP circuit at Jerez.
Despite the dirty track conditions (the circuit is undergoing major reconstruction work), both riders were circulated at close to lap record speed by the end of three days of testing.
The owner of the Banbury team, Kenny Roberts snr said: "It's about the fastest we've ever been around here and the conditions were anything but ideal. Apart from the last 20 minutes, when Jeremy fell off, the tests were flawless."
McWilliams was not hurt in the fall, which came towards the end of a test over full race distance on race-compound tyres. The engine seized, almost certainly due to dirt ingested from the dust-strewn track.
The tests are in readiness for the season, which starts on April 7, with the Japanese GP at Suzuka.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article