Red Bull Yamaha to switch to Dunlop?

With the re-introduction of Dunlop and Bridgestone to the premier league of the MotoGP Championship, teams now have more options to choose from. Tyres play an important part in the performance of the machines so it is essential that the right ones are used to suit the rider and the set up of the bikes. With this in mind, the Red Bull Yamaha team have taken to the tracks with Dunlop's on their wheels to test out what is the best option for 2002.

Like the rest of the teams in the 500 World Championship, Red Bull Yamaha were on Michelins last season. By carrying out a three day test in Sepang, Malaysia, Red Bull Yamaha hope to decide if Dunlop are the tyres for them. With Garry McCoy on one bike and American teenage rookie John Hopkins on the other, there should be plenty of results to work from and come up with a decision.

After the first day of testing yesterday, Team Manager Peter Clifford talked the official MotoGP website: 'There was a little rain this morning but that only held us up for an hour or so and we have enjoyed fine weather conditions all day,' said Peter Clifford. 'This is purely a tyre test, we are not looking at trying out any other new parts, although it is also a good opportunity for Garry and particularly John to get a feel for the bike again. Garry has really been enjoying riding the bike without the pressure of a Grand Prix weekend and I think he's had a lot of fun out there today. It is still very early days to be able to say whether or not the Dunlop tyres have made any difference but we have three days to work it out and we are nowhere near a decision just yet.'

John Hopkins had tested the two-stroke bike earlier in the year, and after a number of laps around the Sepang circuit yesterday, he thought he was getting to grips with the Yamaha YZR500 well. 'The Sepang circuit is really wide and the corners are huge, so it's quite difficult to choose a consistent racing line and be able to evaluate the bike and the tyres straight away. From the test sessions I've already done on the 500 I feel at home on a grand prix bike and I hope to get plenty of laps in over the next few days. The power is impressive but I have ridden two strokes a lot back home when I was competing in the Aprilia Cup and racing 125's.'

Testing continues today and tomorrow. It is the teams aim to make a decision by the end of the test whether or not to go with Dunlop next season.