China enters Grands Prix
New team has star advisorsGiant Chinese motorcycle manufacturer Haojue, which produces 3 million units per year, is to enter the 2009 125 world GP championship under a new brand name: Maxtra.
The team has called on the assistance of a star line-up of consultants, including former motorcycle and Formula 1 world champion John Surtees MBE (pictured), who was also in at the early efforts by Japanese makers to enter world championships.
The Maxtra 125 powerplant has been designed by Dutch engineer and race star Jan Witteveen, while British outfit Harris Performance Products has done the chassis and bodywork.
Haojue selected the name Maxtra as something that would be more acceptable on the world stage, a decision which suggests it has international distribution of its product in mind.
A rider has yet to be announced for the race bike, though the company has secured Garry Taylor, on of the most experienced GP team managers in the paddock, as a consultant.
Maxtra's entry into GP will happen 50 years after Honda took its first step into international TT racing at the Isle of Man.
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