Garry McCoy

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Garry McCoy

MotoGP Record
Nationality	Australian
Nicknames	The Gazza
Bike #	24, 5 (500cc)
Current team
World Championships
Race Starts
Race Wins
Podium finishes
Pole positions
Fastest laps
Championship Points
Championship position

Garry McCoy is an Australian motorcycle racer born in Sydney on April 18, 1972. In 1996 he signed to privateer Team Bramich and rode a 748s Ducati. It was a great year for McCoy as he learnt from team director, Don Bramich, the fundamentals for managing a successful team. He raced in his first 125cc world championship races in 1992, and his first full season the year after. He won the 1995 Malaysian Grand Prix and the 1996 Australian Grand Prix as well as 7 other top-3 finishes and one pole position. In 1998 he raced in 500cc for the first time, but a broken ankle ended a disappointing season with a Shell Advance Honda. He was out of a ride at the start of 1999, but he joined WCM mid-season, and finished third at Valencia.

2000 was a breakout season for Garry, as he opened the year with a shock win at Welkom in South Africa. He had been the only rider to get the 16'5-inch Michelin tyre working to full effect, with his sideways riding style and slight build ideally suited to it. There were 2 further wins that year, and 5th in the 500 championship. 2001 was ruined by a broken wrist sustained at Le Mans, and 2002 was not a huge success either, resulting in him joining Kawasaki's factory team. This was hugely disappointing, and he and team-mates Andrew Pitt and Alex Hofmann rarely qualified in the top 15.

For 2004 he joined NCR Ducati in the World Superbike championship, winning at Philip Island and finishing 6th overall. He raced for Carl Fogarty's Foggy Petronas team in 2005, as the team attempted to make its 900cc 3 cylinder bike competitive. After 9 rounds his best finish was 12th, and he has qualified for Superpole and a top-16 starting spot 4 times. Results did not improve, and he had no racing ride for 2006.

McCoy worked as a test rider for Ilmor's 2007 Ilmor X3 800 cc MotoGP prototype, competing in the final two rounds of the 2006 MotoGP season as a wildcard.^[1] He was expected to ride for Ilmor in 2007, but Andrew Pitt and an injured, 42-year-old Jeremy McWilliams were chosen instead.^[2]