Bold new Chinese Racing bid unveiled

Witteveen brings both experience and a yen for fresh thinking to the Maxtra project, and promises that his engine will find new solutions to old problems in the most exacting class of all.

The new machine has an innovative engine architecture, with the single cylinder pointing downwards at about 45 degrees. This previously untried layout offers, according to Witteveen, new opportunities to improve both intake and exhaust. There is more space for an airbox, enhancing the effectiveness of the ram-air intake system. The exhaust also has a free run to the rear of the machine.

Though the two-stroke single-cylinder liquid cooled specifications yield little information other than a basically square 54 X 54.5mm bore and stroke and a 38mm carburettor, it is interesting that Witteveen has chosen reed valve induction, accepting a trade-off in top-end power for better overall responses. “I think it will be a good solution,” he said.

The first full season of 2009 will be “a learning year”, according to Taylor, with the aim of rostrum finishes by year two, and a full championship challenge in the third year. “The 125 class is no picnic, but our aim is to challenge for wins in the second year and the championship in the third,” he said.

The Maxtra engine has already undergone successful bench tests. A track test programme begins in the coming weeks with shake-down tests in Britain, followed by a full development programme onEuropean circuits.

Where the company goes from here is seemingly quite fluid, and will largely be dictated by the results achieved. Maxtra’s answers to various journalist questions indicates it is already considering the possibility of building customer machinery once the results are there to create a demand, and there’s even the possibility of a road bike based on the GP bike.

Most exciting is the long-term aim is to create a technology flow from racing to the Chinese factory engineers and onto the road. “Bringing top racing technology to the new Chinese team will short-cut this process, giving the factory engineers a fast-track course in race engineering,” said Taylor.