The BCL Motorsports/GP Tech GP212 Claiming Rule Team (CRT) MotoGP racebike that GP Tech owner Geoff Maloney plans to have Aaron Yates race as a wild card entry in the Red Bull Indianapolis GP underwent its first test August 3 at Gingerman Raceway, in Michigan, and the test was a success, according to Maloney. “Things are functioning well and looking good,” said Maloney, who is based in Michigan. “The big thing was to make sure the bike behaved like a motorcycle. Taylor [Knapp] had some very good things to say about how it behaved, what it did and how it tracked. He said the harder he rode it the better it got. I took a very big sigh of relief, that’s for sure.” “It was pretty cool,” said Knapp, another Michigan resident. “I never really rode anything like that before so I didn’t know what to expect, but the chassis was actually really good. It handled pretty good, but we weren’t really up to pace. We were just sort of shaking it down, making sure nothing fell off it or anything. But the chassis was actually pretty solid, and it handled pretty good, and it did everything pretty good.” Maloney’s plan calls for Knapp (the project’s test rider/alternate rider) to join Yates (the effort’s lead rider) and the GP212 and the rest of the BCL Motorsports/GP Tech team for three days of testing August 7-9 at Autobahn Country Club, just outside of Chicago, Illinois. There the team will start sorting out the machine, setting up its chassis, and dialing in its engines and electronic package while riding on 16.5-inch Dunlop tires. Then on August 11, the group will move to Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) for a one-day test where they will get to use MotoGP-spec Bridgestone tires. The Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix is scheduled for August 17-19 at IMS.
© , Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.