World Championship Motorsports must ring a bell, right? Do you remember this team? Well, yes, remember Gary McCoy, or Régis Laconi’s victory at the 1999 Valencia Grand Prix. Still nothing? Come along with us for the story of this remarkable team from the late 1990s.
The world history begins in 1992. Yamaha decides to make available the YZR 500cc engines in order to attract many privateers, who could, consequently, run competitive machines at a lower cost. Annemasse-based chassis company ROC is in pole position. Thus, no fewer than eleven ROC-Yamahas took to the tracks of the 1992 World Championship. WCM was one of the teams using Franco-Japanese machines.
Ellison on the Blata WCM at Donington in 2005.
Founded jointly by Bob McLean and Peter Clifford, the team had great ambitions. For this first season at the highest level, the very young Peter Goddard was selected to represent the Valvoline/WCM banner. The experience turned into a nightmare. Goddard, irregular and injured, could not keep up the pace. Against all odds, he scores the points for fifth place at Donington. The years go by and they all look the same.
The commitment of interesting profiles like Niall Mackenzie or Neil Hogdson allows to stay on course and remain in Yamaha's sights. In 1997, everything changes. The private team Promotor Racing, which used real factory YZR500s, withdraws. In order to reward WCM, the Japanese firm provides the two machines, in which Luca Cadalora and Troy Corser, two remarkable drivers, would race.
It was at this point that Red Bull, a still discreet brand, approached the organization. Hence the iconic livery used for many years. In 1998, WCM achieves a tour de force by winning the British Grand Prix thanks to Simon CrafarThis victory sounds like an achievement, since it is the only one that was not attributed to Honda this season.
Our national Régis Laconi repeated the feat on the wet in Valencia the following year. This is only the third time that the Marseillaise resounds in 500cc, fourteen years after Christian Sarron. We will have to wait for the triumph of fabio quartararo in Jerez in 2020 to relive such emotions. The "king of sliding" Gary McCoy, present in the team to replace Crafar, finished on the third step of the podium. A double for such a charismatic team is not so common.
In 2000, the Australian established himself as the best driver in the team's history. Three victories, accompanied by three other podiums, propel him to fifth overall, just nine points behind Max Biaggi, the official rider.. Unfortunately, the move to the four-stroke era killed WCM. The results, for some time, had not followed. Red Bull left the ship in the direction of the 125cc, much more promising and in line with the brand image.
Another photo of James Ellison in 2005, another forgotten pilot.
The production of a less expensive machine was necessary, but this one did not respect the regulations to the letter. This was the beginning of a long fight with the FIM, like the end of an era. Absolutely nowhere in the rankings in 2004, the team went all out by teaming up with Blata. This probably doesn't mean anything to you (and that's normal). Blata is a Czech mini-bike brand that decided to make a Grand Prix machine equipped with a V6. The bike was ultimately never ready on time; an eternity later, it could be seen on the circuits, but not as promised.
Another missed opportunity in short. The team that housed Alex Hofmann, James Ellison, Gary McCoy and Luca Cadalora not so long ago was no longer able to obtain the necessary financial resources. It is heartbreaking, but also the harsh law of sport. At the end of 2006, the beautiful story ended definitively in total indifference. When the great private teams are mentioned, McCoy and his moments of grace, just like the French flag proudly brandished by Laconi in Valencia, immediately come to mind. We must accept it, but all that belongs to the past.
Did you have any memories of this team? Tell us in the comments!
Cover photo: Yamaha Community
