Chaz denied Ilmor debut.
Former 125 and 250GP rider, Chaz Davies, was frustratingly denied the chance to make his MotoGP debut for Ilmor during testing at Jerez this week.
The 19-year-old, who recently agreed terms to ride in the 2007 AMA Formula Xtreme and Supersport championships after five years in world championship racing, was suddenly contacted by MotoGP's newest team on Monday and asked to ride the X3 during the final test session before the winter ban starts on December 1.
Former 125 and 250GP rider, Chaz Davies, was frustratingly denied the chance to make his MotoGP debut for Ilmor during testing at Jerez this week.
The 19-year-old, who recently agreed terms to ride in the 2007 AMA Formula Xtreme and Supersport championships after five years in world championship racing, was suddenly contacted by MotoGP's newest team on Monday and asked to ride the X3 during the final test session before the winter ban starts on December 1.
However, delays due to rain meant that Chaz never got the chance to sample the 800cc racer, while Ilmor's test was brought to a dramatic halt when Jeremy McWilliams fractured his femur and collarbone, and sustained other serious injuries to the fingers on his left hand, during a Thursday afternoon fall.
"When we spoke to Mario Illien on Monday he said that I should come down to Jerez and get a run out on the bike on Wednesday," Chaz told Crash.net. "There was no way I could get a flight out to Jerez that day [on Monday] so we went from Stansted to Jerez at 4pm Tuesday. Unfortunately, the day's testing on Tuesday was pretty poor for everybody because of the weather so people only managed a handful of damp laps. This meant that on Wednesday the teams had a lot of work to catch up on.
"Ilmor had a lot of things to try and basically they were flat out all day, with Pitt working on the engine side of things and McWilliams on the chassis. As they were so busy and making the most of the sunshine I never managed to get out. It would have probably upset their rhythm and progress a bit if I'd have jumped on the bike while they were still busy testing things with the riders they have.
"It was a bit of a shame because I was looking forward to it but ah well, hopefully my turn will come one day! Best wishes to Jeremy as well for a speedy recovery," Chaz concluded.
Ilmor ran Garry McCoy in the final two rounds of the 2006 MotoGP World Championship and has tested with McWilliams and Andrew Pitt since the season ending race at Valencia, but is yet to officially confirm any riders for 2007.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
