Proton Team KR riders Nobu Aoki and Jeremy McWilliams faced a hard start to the new MotoGP season. Both riders crashed today on the first day of practice for Sunday’s Japanese GP, costing both the chance of a better showing on the time sheets.

Aoki fell heavily in the morning’s free training session, severely damaging one of his machines, and sustaining heavy bruising, though lucky to escape more serious injury. Against all expectations, he went out again for the afternoon session – a heroic effort.

McWilliams fell in the afternoon, the victim of high and very unpredictable winds. Although he was unhurt and able to go out again on his spare bike, the lap times were not forthcoming because of minor machine problems.

There is one more day of practice for Sunday’s GP, the opening round of the new MotoGP world championship, that pits 990cc four-strokes against the established 500cc two-strokes like the Proton KR3. First honours today went to a two-stroke, with Honda rider Loris Capirossi claiming provisional pole position.

NOBUATSU AOKI - "That was a really difficult afternoon. I am hurting everywhere. For sure the bike is capable of a faster lap time. I only hope that tomorrow I will be a bit stronger so that I can achieve it."

JEREMY McWILLIAMS - "The wind was really strong and unpredictable. I’m not sure if that was why I fell, but I believe so. I’d just put on a soft qualifying tyre and done a warm-up lap, and I was committed to Turn One when the front just went away and I fell. The front was pushing at many places on the track, and we’ll have to change the set-up of the bike if it stays like this. I don’t think that will help the lap time."

CHUCK AKSLAND – Team Manager - "Sometimes you have bad days – and it was not for want of trying on the part of both riders. We didn’t even expect Nobuatsu to go out in the afternoon, so that was a pretty good effort. From test results we know that our bike is capable of going faster. Jeremy went out to try and do that after he fell, but he had some bike problems. If the weather is good tomorrow, I’m sure we can do better."

1. Capirossi - 2m05.052s
2. Rossi - 2m05.096s
3. Ukawa - 2m05.561s
4. Roberts - 2m05.630s
5. Itoh - 2m05.650s
6. Checa - 2m05.846s
7. Katoh - 2m05.858s
8. Biaggi - 2m05.910s
9. Jacque - 2m06.253s
10. Nakano - 2m06.339s
11. Ryo - 2m06.378s
12. Abe - 2m06.567s
13. Goorbergh - 2m06.731s
14. Gibernau - 2m06.964s
15. Barros - 2m07.015s
16. Hopkins - 2m07.686s
17. Aoki - 2m07.822s
18. Laconi - 2m07.916s
19. McCoy - 2m07.976s
20. Harada - 2m08.168s
21. McWilliams - 2m08.294s
22. Riba - 2m15.140s

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