From a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

ESTORIL TESTS BOOST PROTON TEAM KR’S CHANCES*

Proton Team KR tests of the new KTM MotoGP motor after the Portuguese GP at Estoril gave the team a boost in several respects.

One was the strong performance of the new 990cc V4 Austrian-built engine, which might offer a new direction for the team. Another was the performance of the Proton KR chassis, modified to take the V4 in place of the regular V5. The state-of-the-art unit proved well fitted to the task.

A third had nothing to do with the Austrian built engine. It related to the team’s Dunlop tyres, with fresh developments tested on the first of two days. Rider Nobuatsu Aoki, using the regular V5 engine, found yet more tyre improvements, as the joint development programme continues to bear fruit.

The new tyres are of the most importance for next weekend’s Japanese GP, at the Motegi Twin Ring circuit. With work on the KTM engine on the back burner, the four long-distance flyaway GPs taking precedence, Aoki will be racing the KR V5 at Motegi and for this race and the remaining rounds. Team-mate Kurtis Roberts, still recuperating from injuries, will miss the Japanese GP.

Team manager Chuck Aksland described the progress of the tests, and their meaning for the short-term and long-term future.

“Nobu did more than 20 laps with the KTM motor at Estoril on the first day, and more than 50 on the second. There were no problems, and on race tyres he worked up to lap times better than he’d achieved in Sunday’s race. They were just short of our qualifying times, set on qualifying tyres.

“We were all pretty impressed by the engine’s potential, and we came away with some ideas on what needs to be improved. The problem is with the fly-away GPs there’s no time to test on these ideas. We’ll do the work and then test again after the last race.

“At that time, we will make a determination over whether and how to continue the programme,” said Aksland.

“The reason Nobu only did 20 laps on day one is because we also had a tyre test with Dunlop on Monday,” the team manager continued. “They went well. It looks like they’ve found a good direction. Every test with them there is some improvement. That should help us some at Motegi,” he said.

Aoki will ride machines in a similar stage of development as the previous races, where he finished in the points on both occasions.

Roberts will miss a second race after having surgery to his left wrist – a delayed requirement following a crash in practice for the Czech Republic GP. “Kurtis is recovering well at home. We’re not sure if he will be fit for Qatar, but he should be racing again for the next race, in Malaysia,” said Aksland.

The Japanese GP, round 12 of 16, takes place at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit, a spectacular combined oval track and road-racing circuit set in wooded hills just over an hour outside Tokyo.

There is a weekend off after that race, then an intensive round-the-world trio of races in quick succession – Qatar, Malaysia and Australia – before the final round at Valencia in Spain on October 31.

NOBUATSU AOKI – HOME FANS, HOME PRESSURE*

Of course this is an important race for me, and I will try as hard as always so as to give my home fans something to please them. There’s more pressure racing at home, but it’s also enjoyable. After getting into the points at the last two races I hope we can do even better at Motegi. The encouraging tyre tests give me hope it will be possible.