Peter Clifford, Pavel Blata, James Ellison, Jan Prudik, Mira Popov and Karel Majek.

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World Championship Motorsports has successfully competed in the premier motorcycle world championship for over a decade. First established in 1992, WCM entered its most prominent period in 1997 after forming a partnership with Red Bull to race factory Yamaha machines.

In 1993 WCM lined up on the grid again alongside the fastest machines on two wheels and competed as a completely independent racing team promoting our own machine. It gradually built a very strong position. This is confirmed by the fact that WCM is now entering the world championships in partnership with the BLATA motorcycle brand.

WCM team history

World Championship Motorsports (WCM) was formed as 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 V4 engine. With little money but big ambitions the team lined up on the 500cc grid alongside some of the most powerful two-wheeled machines in existence.

Peter Goddard was the first rider that WCM engaged, and he rode the ROC–Yamaha, the machine that became synonymous with WCM over the next 5 years. The results were restricted by the team's inability to secure factory engines and factory parts; for many years WCM were not in the limelight. It was in 1997 that fortunes changed and WCM were given an opportunity and equipment to compete and beat the established factory teams.

Yamaha eventually invited WCM to take control of its factory team. A new team, the Red Bull Yamaha WCM was born. Italian star Luca Cadalora headed the Clifford and MacLean WCM stable, which was then recognised as a potential Grand Prix winner.

With newfound fortune in 1998, the Red Bull Yamaha Team moved into a brand new facility in Strasswalchen , Austria . The popularity of Red Bull was well established in the Austrian and German markets and the energy drink was gaining popularity worldwide. The association with WCM's team gave Red Bull international exposure and a truly global audience.

In ‘98 Simon Crafar won the British Grand Prix for Red Bull Yamaha WCM. In the same year Crafar was partnered by French star Regis Laconi. In mid ‘99 Crafar was replaced by the feisty Australian Garry McCoy who was impressive from the beginning. McCoy secured a third place result in Valencia that year whilst his team mate Laconi won the same GP.

For 2000 McCoy and Laconi remained with WCM and McCoy's impressive results continued. His "speedway" racing style attracted enormous media attention and fans worldwide admired his sideways slides. ‘Slide Boy' McCoy won 3 Grand Prix that year and was on the podium on a further three occasions. Overall McCoy finished fifth in the World Championship, 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 in Portugal and Malaysia .  The rest of his season was ruined by a broken scaphoid sustained during practice at Le Mans .

The following year in 2002 McCoy was joined by American unknown John Hopkins. The young 18-year-old American teenager came to the team with an impressive record in US racing circuit, having won the AMA 750 Supersports Series and the Aprilia Challenge Championship. Though Hopkins came to be seen as the find of the year, McCoy 's year was trashed by a pre season accident that broke his leg.

In 2003 WCM lined up with new riders and new machines. WCM relocated to Belgium and built a new bike in partnership with Harris Production Parts from the UK , and our 2003 riders were Britain 's Chris Burns and Spanish Champion David de Gea. In 2004 Italian Michel Fabrizio scored points on the Harris WCM, but he and Burns continued an uphill struggle against the factory teams. The team has enjoyed the challenge but seeks to move forward once again.