Final WCM appeal rejected

The Harris WCM team’s attempt to race in MotoGP has been scuppered once and for all after its final appeal was rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) yesterday, June 26.

Team Boss Peter Clifford lodged the appeal with the international court when his appeal was rejected by the FIM, motorsport’s governing body, on June 4. But the CAS upheld the FIM’s decision that the Harris WCM Yamaha R1 based GP bike was not a true prototype, as it was too close to the production bike it was derived from. This put an end to young Brit Chris Burns’ hopes of a MotoGP ride.

The bike was originally banned from racing by officials at the second round of the world championship in Welkom, South Africa. The crankcases and cylinder heads on the machine were deemed to be too similar to those on the production R1.

Clifford has admitted that he is currently in negotiations with other manufacturers, including Ducati, to allow the team to run a bike in 2004 (as revealed in MCN June 25).

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