Over the past six weeks McCoy has posted all-time outright lap speed records for 500cc two-stroke bikes in qualifying on the front row for the Czech and Rio Grands Prix.  He was fourth on the grid at both those races against the mighty new 990cc four-stroke bikes, but wound up only 11th and 10th at the chequered flag.

The Motegi race is the start of tough schedule of three consecutive GPs, with the Japanese race quickly followed by another at Sepang in Malaysia the following weekend and then McCoy's home event, the SKYY VODKA Australian Grand Prix at Victoria's Phillip Island on October 18-20.

McCoy has been in sparkling qualifying form since his complete recovery from early season leg fractures but is yet to produce his best over a GP race distance again.

The new era of more powerful four-stroke bikes, the disruption caused by injury and consequently not having a full season of hard competition, and exceptionally wet race conditions have hampered McCoy's efforts to be at the front of the pack on race day.

A three-time Moto GP winner, McCoy is still one of the world's fastest men on two wheels but finds himself stranded on an outdated 500cc two-stroke machine against the ever-increasing domination of the new 990cc four-stroke prototypes.

"At Brno (in the Czech Republic) and Rio (in Brazil) over the past month I've gone quicker than ever on a 500cc two-stroke but in the races, especially when it rains like it did in Brazil, the big four-strokes are just so much easier to ride," McCoy said.

"The four-strokes have a wider, smoother power delivery plus electronic traction control and this year it seems with the new regulations the two-strokes have been left out in the cold.

"It seems someone decided the four-strokes had to win everything and it's left the two- strokes struggling."

At Motegi this weekend McCoy will race his Yamaha 500 against a strong line-up of factory four-stroke prototypes, perhaps as many as 11 of them. Brazilian veteran Alex Barros is now on a Honda V5 and there is talk that Japan's Shinya Nakano and Frenchman Olivier Jacque may line up on Yamaha M1 990 machines rather than the 500s they have ridden to date this season.

Japanese wildcard Akira Yanagawa will debut the Kawasaki 990cc four-cylinder prototype, adding to the struggle the dwindling two-stroke ranks face.

"In qualifying I will be trying to start up front and the soft compound Dunlop tyres we have are very competitive for a fast time in that situation ," McCoy said.

"But that's only one lap and the races are hard class with all those four-strokes and most of the other guys have been going flat out all year, the times are very close, while I'm still catching up a little in terms of race speed after missing some GPs."

Japan and Malaysia will be a tough call for McCoy, but he feels that at the long and fast Phillip Island circuit there may be a glimmer of hope for a final, competitive swansong for the Yamaha 500 machine.

"At the Island four-strokes will have an advantage, although there have been some of tracks this year - Czecho, Rio and Germany, for instance, that I didn't expect the two- strokes to be very good but they turned out to be a bit more competitive," McCoy said.

"The Island looks a four-stroke track and has a long straight but it's hard work, lots of fast open corners, so let's wait and see.

"My Yamaha 500 was running real hard there last until it stopped with a clutch problem.

"I'm hoping the Australian GP can be a good day for the 500s against the big new four- strokes.

"I'll trying flat out - it will just of matter of whether the new four-strokes have too much pace over us."

For Motegi on Sunday McCoy's main wish is a clear, sunny day and dry track after the washouts that hindered him in the recent races in Portugal and Brazil.

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