From a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

PROTON TEAM KR SET THE PACE IN FLYAWAY-FRIENDLY PIT-LANE CHIC

Proton Team KR have raised the standard in pit-lane presentation this year, with F1-style pit furniture and layout, backed by an all-new flyaway-friendly system of containers that convert to offices and workshops.

“As the sport gets more professional, presentation becomes more important,” said team owner Kenny Roberts. “We’ve recruited a number of F1 engineers for our four-stroke GP bike project. This is another thing we can learn from F1.

“It also proves our commitment to developing the championship, that goes beyond just racing on the track,” the former triple champion said.

In the pit, already clean enough to eat off the floor, flat-screen TVs display essential information to the riders’ individual engineers, who sit behind glass in a central area. Each rider has his own station on either side, with space to stow helmets and gloves out of sight.

The greater innovation is in the “Track Shacks” – the trade name for the container systems developed by Quentor Cases, which means that containers tailor-made to fit into a 747 luggage hold then convert into self-contained office or workshop units.

These are also used by almost all the F1 teams for flyaway races, and as well as catering for the air-travel sectors are themselves part of an integrated pit system, consolidating tool boxes and spare-parts storage in a way that can be adapted to fit unaltered into the team’s road transport for the races in Europe.

The Track Shacks are fully wired for power, air-lines and telephone and internet connections. Proton Team KR had two at Suzuka, with one destined to be a clean and controlled engine-building environment for when the new V5 four-stroke motor comes on stream.

Chief mechanic and technical coordinator Les Jones said: “We have formed a partnership with Quentor to promote their products in pit lane. We will be using their latest innovations throughout the year, and I am sure the other teams will see the advantage.”