World Championship Motorsports (WCM) was formed with a partnership between American racing enthusiast Bob MacLean and the British born engineer and journalist, Peter Clifford.

The partnership began in 1992 when Yamaha made it possible for independent teams like WCM to purchase a V- four engine. With little money and big ambition Bob and Peters team lined up on the 500cc grid alongside some of the most powerful two-wheeled machinery known.

Peter Goddard was the first rider that WCM engaged and he rode the ROC –Yamaha, the machine that became synonmous with WCM over the next 5 years. The results were reflective of the team’s inability to secure factory engines and factory parts and for many years WCM were not in the limelight. Niall Mackenzie, Andrew Stroud, Neil Hodgson, James Haydon and Chris Taylor all rode the ROC but it was in 1997 that fortunes were to change and WCM were given an opportunity to compete and beat the big factory teams.

The year began like many others for ROC – Yamaha with Kirk McCarthy riding the bike. After 2 races one of the factory Yamaha teams withdraw from the Championship leaving 2 bikes and 2 riders without any direction. Yamaha invited WCM to take control of the team and by the next race in Spain, WCM had re-branded the team Red Bull Yamaha WCM and riders Cadalora and Corser were now a part of the Clifford and MacLean WCM stable. In the very next race in Italy, the team was presenting as a full factory team and Luca Cadalora bought home immediate results for the team, on the podium in second place. Meanwhile McCarthy continued to compete on the ROC Yamaha until the British GP when he joined Cadalora with the earlier departure of Corser. Cadalora finished the year in 6th place and WCM were recognised as potential Grand Prix winners.

With newfound fortune in ‘98 the Red Bull Yamaha Team moved into a brand new facility in Strasswalchen, Austria. The facility was built at the instigation of the teams Naming Rights Sponsor, Red Bull, who were demonstrating their long term commitment to the team in constructing this workshop facility.

The popularity of Red Bull was well established in Austria and Germany markets and the energy drink was gaining popularity worldwide. The association with WCM’s race team gave Red Bull and international exposure to a growing global audience.

Throughout the year, the efforts of WCM were recognised with New Zealand rider Simon Crafar winning the British Grand Prix in WCM – Red Bull Yamaha Colours. The team had secured itself a Grand Prix and success bought more success.

In ’99 Crafar and was joined by French star Regis Laconi who rode with the team for the following two years. Crafar began to experience enormous problems insurmountable problems with the Michelin tyres on the YZR500 and he was replaced mid Season by the fisty Australian Garry McCoy. McCoy was impressive from the beginning and secured a third place result in Valencia and his teammate Laconi on top of the Podium with his first GP victory.

In 2000 McCoy and Laconi remained with WCM and McCoys impressive results continued. His "speedway" racing style attracted enormous media attention and fans worldwide admired his sideways slides. Garry won 3 Grand Prixs that year and was on the podium to collect a further three, Third Place finishes. Overall McCoy finished fifth in the World Championship, the best results that WCM had achieved to date whilst TeamMate Laconi finished just outside the Top Ten in 12th place.

By 2001, Garry McCoy was synonyms with the Red Bull Yamaha Team and Superbike Sensation Nori Haga joined him. McCoy finished 12th in the battle for the 2001 World Championship with a second in Suzuka, Japan and two 3rd place finishes (Portugal and Malaysia). Haga finished the season in 14th position and never really adapted that well to the YZR 500.

The following year McCoy was joined by American unknown John Hopkins. The young 18-year-old American teenager comes to the team with an impressive record in US racing, having won the AMA 750 Supersports Series and the Aprilia Challenge Championship but with no GP experience at all.

Hopkins was a solid racer, with a focus and dedication rarely seen. Hopkins finished the year in 15th place overall and built up a tremendous fan base with his family being from the UK. McCoys was injury prone throughout most of the Season and was replace by Alex Hoffman and Jean-Michele Bayle.

In 2003, WCM – line up with new riders and new machinery. WCM have entered into a partnership with Harris Production Parts from the UK and will have English racer Chris Burns and German Legend – Ralf Waldmann ride for the team.

Harris WCM – Team History

Harris Performance Products and World Championship Motorsport (WCM) have formed a partnership to build a new Grand Prix racer.

Harris bring 25 years of rolling chassis experience to the project including the manufacture of the Harris Yamaha 500 GP machines that started in 1992.

WCM has also been running a GP team since 1992, from 1997 as the multi Grand Prix winning Red Bull Yamaha Team.

MotoGP 2003 features the most impressive line up of machinery and riders ever assembled on the starting grid. Honda, Ducati, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha and Aprilia are all represented for the first time by full factory backed teams.

The demands of competing in such illustrious company are not to be underestimated. It is not impossible as the equally independent Proton KR team were a thorn in the sides of the major factories in 2002. Both Harris and WCM know very well how tough racing at this level is.

The Hertford based company built Harris Yamahas for sale from 1992 when Yamaha made their YZR500 engine available. In 1996. ‚97 and ‚98 Harris ran the official factory World Superbike Team. Harris were chosen by Sauber Petronas Engineering as chassis partner for their MotoGP project.

Having campaigned the factory YZR500 Yamahas from 1997 to 2002 WCM has a huge body of knowledge that they add to the Harris experience. The Yamaha factory clearly used the same YZR 500 as a starting point for the M1 MotoGP machine.

As a starting point for the engine WCM will employ much modified R1 components. More than anything this is necessary to fit in with the time constraints. The engine cases and cylinder head will be WCM designed items in keeping with the FIM regulations for MotoGP.

In charge of the WCM engine project is Dave Hagen. The West Sussex based engineer is one of the most respected names in motorcycle four stroke racing and has plotted a clear development path. Right from the start the pistons, valves, cams etc will be purpose built items but by taking this route there is no doubt that power plants can be made ready for testing along with the chassis in February. From the start of testing 180bhp will be available increasing to 200 bhp or beyond.

The development of the engine is open ended and could eventually see a new unit designed from the ground up. On the other hand there is also the strong possibility that the partnership with Harris may continue into 2004 using engines from one of the major manufacturers and raced by them in Moto GP.

Harris WCM is not the only machine in the championship produced by an independent team. Team Proton KR had their first bike on the track in 1997 but for 2003 they will have an all new five cylinder four stroke.

For the time being thoughts of similarly starting with a clean sheet of paper are distant and the efforts of both Harris and WCM are focussed on the realistic task of having motorcycles for two riders being tested in February.