Roberts V4 imminent

Kenny Roberts’ new 800cc MotoGP contender will be flown to Honda’s Japan headquarters next Wednesday before making its track debut in Sepang later this month.

Team Roberts are in the final stages of building their new 800cc machine that they began work on immediately after the end of the 2006 season last October.

The bike has to be flown to HRC on January 10 for various system checks before Honda flies it to Malaysia for the first test after the winter ban in Malaysia on January 22.

Roberts is in the second year of a deal that sees his Banbury-based team lease engines from HRC, and his team of engineers are close to completing the bike that is built around Honda’s new RC212 V4 motor.

Kenny Roberts Junior will make his first appearance on an 800cc machine at the Sepang test where the whole MotoGP grid will congregate barring the new Ilmor squad.