Mccoy To Roar For Red Bull
The Age
Monday August 21, 2000
Australian 500cc motorcycle rider Garry McCoy has cemented his place with the grand prix circus for the next two years after clinching a new contract with the Red Bull Yamaha team.
McCoy, a 28-year-old from Camden in New South Wales, landed the deal at the weekend and shook hands on the agreement just minutes before he went out and qualified his bike on the front row for the Czech Grand Prix at Brno.
The deal will keep him at Red Bull Yamaha for another two years, with the option for a third year.
The former dirt-bike rider began the season in brilliant form with a victory in the opening GP of the year, at Welkom in South Africa, but he has been out of luck in recent months, turning in a string of disappointing performances to fall out of championship contention.
A delighted McCoy said: ``It would have been a shame to have started something really good and not continued with it. I didn't really want to change teams and start again somewhere else. I have had that problem before, even back in the 125s."
Red Bull boss Peter Clifford said that Mccoy still had a lot of improvement to make to realise his full potential.
``Garry is an awesome talent and his results so far with a GP win in South Africa and two front row qualifying performances are just the beginning," Clifford said.
In a brilliant performance in practice, McCoy edged form rider Italian Valentino Rossi and Spain's reigning world champion Alex Criville back to the second row for the Czech event run overnight Australian time.
Italian Max Biaggi had pole position on a Yamaha. The winner of four 250cc races and the 1998 500cc event at the track, clocked two minutes 1.291 seconds in final practice to make himself race favorite.
Compatriot Loris Capirossi was second quickest with 2:01.675 on a Honda despite breaking a finger in a fall during the morning's free practice. World championship leader Kenny Roberts qualified third with 2:01.73 on his Suzuki, followed by McCoy on his Yamaha in 2:01.936 seconds.
The first six riders all beat the previous lap record.
Meanwhile, Australian teenager Anthony West will start from the fourth row in the 250cc GP at Brno after qualifying his Shell Advance Honda 16th.
Yamaha rider Olivier Jacque of France and Shinya Nakano of Japan were the fastest qualifiers.
This weekend's round of the world championships is the 11th in a season that will culminate at the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island on October 27-29. -- with AAP
© 2000 The Age
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