The 'X3' ''(also known as the 'X
3')'' is an 800
cc V4 race bike built by '
Ilmor Engineering' to compete in the 2007
MotoGP series.
The X3 is the
brainchild of Ilmor co-founder
Mario Illien and former grand prix rider
Eskil Suter of
Suter Racing Technology (SRT). Illien used his world championship winning
F1 engine experience to design the machine's V4 powerplant, with Suter, who has previously designed
Kawasaki's MotoGP chassis, in charge of the twin-spar aluminum frame.
With rider
Garry McCoy, the X3 made its debut as a wildcard entry at the
2006 Portuguese Grand Prix and then two weeks later at the
2006 Valencia Grand Prix where the emphasized these were more of a test than competition. McCoy exceeded expectations, putting in consistent performances to bring the Ilmor team their first two championship points and the first ever points awarded for an 800 cc capacity bike.
2007 season
McCoy worked as a test rider for on the X3 development team and was expected to ride for Ilmor in 2007, but
Andrew Pitt and
Jeremy McWilliams were chosen instead.
[1] On
15 March,
2007 after one race, the team announced that they were taking a break from Moto GP as a result of funding issues.
[2] On
30 April they announced that they would run a "slimmed-down" set-up focused purely on engine development, releasing all unnecessary personnel but keeping under contract riders McWilliams and Pitt.
[3]
References
1. Ilmor Announce 2007 Riders official Ilmor press release, accessed 18 December 2006
2. Ilmor pull out of MotoGP temporarily autosport.com, accessed 15/03/2007
3. http://www.motogp.com/en/motogp/motogp_news.htm?menu=news&news_id=19543&championship_id=3§ion=1
External links
★
Ilmor Engineering official site