- ELF 500 ROC
Infobox Motorcycle
name = ELF 500 ROC
aka =
manufacturer =ELF
production =1996 -1997
predecessor =
successor =
parent_company =
class = 500cc
engine =Swissauto two-stroke V4 500 cc
related =
similar =Muz 500 Pulse 500 The ELF 500 ROC was a motorcycle that competed in the MGP|1996 and MGP|1997 500cc Road Racing World Championship.ELF 500 ROC
A new European motorcycle made its debut under the Elf banner in 1996. The engine was a Swissauto 500cc two-stroke V4 engine, designed as a compact and powerful unit which could be used in both sidecar racing outfits and solo bikes. It utilised a single balance shaft and a 6 speed cassette-type gearbox. Its crankshaft design allowed for the engine to fire at different angles, allowing the rider to choose either "big-bang" or "screamer" engine characteristics. The engine was housed a frame designed by Serge Rosset's small ROC firm, based at Annemasse in France. The bike competed in the 1996 and 1997 500cc World Championships.
1996
Sponsored by soft drink giant Pepsi, the team consisted of
Adrian Bosshard (SWI) andJuan Borja (SPA).Over the course of the seasonWilliam Costes (FRA) stood in for Bosshard, Chris Walker (GBR) later replaced Bosshard, andMarti Craggill (AUS) stood in for Walker at the final round. At its debut race in Malaysia, Borja scored an impressive 10th place. The bike would go on to record 8 point-scoring finishes out of 15 races, its highest placing being that of 8th by Borja at Donington. The motorcycle proved fast but unreliable as it notched up a string of non-finishes. Borja finished the season on 34 pts, Walker on 2 pts.1997
Borja remained in the team, and was joined by new teammate
Jurgen Fuchs (GER). Reliability was still a concern but there was improvement and the bikes finished 13 times in the points – 6 times inside the Top 10. Its highpoint came in Brazil, with Fuchs scoring a best finish of 6th. Borja finished the season on 37 pts, Fuchs on 28 pts.The ELF team ceased GP competition at the end of 1997, but the bikes returned to the grid in 1998 in the form of the
Muz 500 .External links
* [http://www.europark.com/machines/ny-elf500_1996.htm Specs for the 1996 ELF 500]
* [http://www.swissauto.com/e/projekte.e/projektbeschrieb.e.jsp?ID_Display=20000B Official Swissauto site]
* [http://www.andy-wuthrich.com/12803.html Website of Andreas Wuthrich, 500cc Project Manager at Swissauto]
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