KENNY Roberts Jr finished 16th in Sunday's Spanish MotoGP, dropping back from what seemed a secure top-ten finish when a transmission gremlin struck his Banbury-built machine.

It happened on the 24th of 27 laps of the 4.423km Andalucian circuit, outside the sherry capital of Jerez, while the 2000 World Champion was holding a strong position in a six-strong group contesting ninth place. Roberts was feeling secure, and confident he could prevail over his immediate rivals, until the problem struck.

It was a disappointing end to a weekend of solid improvement for the independent Banbury-based team, after the difficult first race at Qatar.

The race was won by Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), with Dani Pedrosa (Honda) second, and Colin Edwards (Yamaha) third.

The next race is the Turkish MotoGP at Istanbul, in three weeks.

  • Team Roberts joined forces with an American hotel and casino, to appear at Jerez in a new livery. Speaking about the link with MGM's Treasure Island Hotel and Casino, and F1 MAX, team boss Kenny Roberts Snr said: "We're excited about this development. We are fortunate that we are in this position to introduce these companies to MotoGP.

The American money comes in addition to the team's other new sponsors, Motorpoint.

With the influx of new cash, Team Roberts hopes to expand into motorcycle production at the Banbury factory.