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Qualifying tire slip cost Kurtis dear |
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Posted by Staff
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Saturday, 15 September 2007 |
Estoril, Portugal - September 15, 2007: Kurtis Roberts will have a hard
job tomorrow in his first race at the slow and challenging Estoril circuit. A
slip-up on his qualifying tyre meant he was unable to improve his time when it
mattered, and the 28-year-old second son of a legend will start the race from
19th position, at the back of the grid.
It represents a big change in
fortune for the independent team. At last year's Portuguese GP, Kurtis's elder
brother Kenny Roberts finished a close third after battling to the finish for
the lead, setting the lap record as he did so.
That was on the 990cc
Honda-powered KR211V, with the chassis built in England at the team's
state-of-the-art facility. This year the engine size has dropped to 800cc and
riders Kenny and Kurtis have been left complaining of a shortage of acceleration
and speed. The Honda factory
machines and some of the satellite-teams have
had engine upgrades, but Team Roberts still has the same motor as at the start
of the year.
A freak accident after the last race has also cast a shadow
over this weekend. Kurtis cut his left foot on Sunday night at Misano, severing
the artery and requiring stitches. That meant he was unable to take part in
tests at the Italian track the next day, where the team had expected to work
with Michelin on improving tyre performance.
The Portuguese GP is the
last round of the European season. Next weekend the team will join the MotoGP
circus in Japan before moving on to Australia and Malaysia. The final round is
at Valencia.
KURTIS ROBERTS - 19th Position, 1:39.017
It's my
first time here, and it's a pretty strange track to learn, with the bumps and
slow corners. But I've been chipping away at it session by session. I should
have qualified better, but I made a mistake on my fast lap, and then tried to
get another lap out of the qualifying tyre – but it didn't make it. My other
problem is my left foot. I cut it at Misano the night after the race. I was
wearing flip-flops and I caught it on something sharp. I've never seen so much
blood - I cut the artery, and needed ten stitches. It's a bit painful still, but
it's not hampering me too much.
KENNY ROBERTS - TEAM PRINCIPAL
The
chassis performance keeps on improving and Kurtis keeps getting better with more
experience. Even though it's his first time here, when we overlay his data on
Kenny Junior's from last year, he's at the same corner speed or faster, as the
800 should be compared with the 990. Last year that was enough for the lap
record and to fight to win the race.The problem is the same as all season: we're
doing what we can with what we've got, but we need more acceleration and speed
from the motor.
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