Ilmor deny Catalunya MotoGP test

The cash-strapped Ilmor MotoGP team has denied Andrew Pitt will return to track action in a test session at the Catalunya circuit on Monday.

The entire MotoGP grid will test after Sunday’s race and it was rumoured that Ilmor would make a shock return with Australian Pitt testing the British-built V4 machine.

But Ilmor has denied plans to attend the test, though confirmed development work was still being conducted at its Northamptonshire headquarters.

The Ilmor machine, built by renowned Formula One engineer Mario Illien, has not been seen in public since it was withdrawn from the MotoGP world championship after just one round of the 2007 campaign.

Illien stunned the MotoGP paddock in Qatar when he suspended the Northamptonshire squad’s racing activities due to a lack of sponsorship.

It left Pitt and British veteran Jeremy McWilliams without a ride for 2007, but the team is still pursuing a major investor with Illien bullish about the team’s chances of returning to competitive action later in the 2007 campaign.

A team spokesperson said: “We are not testing in Catalunya. Engine development is still work in progress and the search for a sponsor continues with the hope of a return to the championship before the end of the season.”