Witteveen Quits Maxtra

After the first full team get together at Valencia it seems the Maxtra project has hit some major problems.

First up is the legal dispute over the Maxtra brand name, with a dispute over the rights to the name forcing them to potentially change names. Not a major disaster you would think, but a costly one nonetheless with the paint barely dry on the new race trucks and team gear.

More significantly, I'm told that engineer Jan Witteveen has quit the team. Jan is widely regarded as the best 2-stroke engineer in the business and was the designer of the all conquering Aprilia rotary engines.

If he was simply the chief engineer this wouldn't be a huge problem, but he is the man who has designed the radical 'formerly known as Maxtra' 125cc engine.

The engine is unique in it's 'upside down' design - intended to speed up the flow of air/fuel mixture induction and aid exhaust scavenging.

What's particularly strange is that the Dutch press is saying he's quit because of the poor performance. But he designed the engine? If he is no longer convinced the design can be competitive, where does that leave the team?

Somewhere with out a paddle it seems.

No wonder the teams website has been taken down.