Burns’ WCM fails FIM inspection

Chris Burns’ GP dream has been dealt another blow this weekend after his Harris WCM machine was banned from taking part in the South African GP.

An FIM technical team inspected the R1-derived prototype yesterday and decided that it didn’t meet strict GP rules which prohibit parts derived from production bikes.

Burns – who couldn’t make his GP debut at Suzuka when the team ran out of engines – is devastated by the decision.

He said: ” I got a phone call last night saying we were out. It’s another massive kick in the stomach. I’ve landed this GP ride and I can’t get out there! ”

The British-built bike has been created in Britain by engine tuner Dave Hagen and chassis experts Harris Performance.

To save development time, they used measurements from Yamaha’s R1 as the basis for the initial designs. The first engines also used R1 crankcases. But the FIM officials deemed the bike too close to the R1 to allow it to compete.

Burns’ team is due to make a statement about the future of the project later today.

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