Kawasaki Motors Racing
 |
|
| 2008 name | Kawasaki Racing Team |
|---|---|
| Base |
 Amsterdam, Netherlands
|
| Principal | Managing Director: Yoshio Kawamura Racing Director: Ichiro Yoda Competition Manager: Michael Bartholemy |
| Rider(s) | 33 Marco Melandri 21 John Hopkins |
| Motorcycle | Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR |
| Tyres | Bridgestone |
| Riders' Championships | - |
Kawasaki Motors Racing was the European subsidiary of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and was located in Netherlands. It was responsible for managing the racing activities of the MotoGP team.
The subsidiary was set up in 2007 as a result of the Japanese manufacturer's necessary split from Harald Eckl's organisation, who managed the Kawasaki MotoGP team since 2002. The reason for the split was Eckl’s involvement with a competitor's MotoGP activities, which forced Kawasaki to terminate the relationship immediately. For the first time since Kawasaki returned to the premier class of motorcycle racing, the team became a complete ‘in house’ factory team.
On January 9, 2009, Kawasaki announced it had decided to "... suspend its MotoGP racing activities from 2009 season onward and reallocate management resources more efficiently". The company stated that it will continue racing activities using mass-produced motorcycles as well as supporting general race oriented consumers.
The team used the new 800cc Ninja ZX-RR and Bridgestone tyres in 2007. Randy de Puniet and Olivier Jacque were chosen as team riders.
Olivier Jacque crashed in practice during the Chinese Grand Prix, gashing his arm severely enough to be unable to race for 2 Grands Prix. He returned to racing only to crash again during practice at the Catalan Grand Prix, missing this race too. Following the series of injuries, Jacque announced his retirement from competition, but planned to continue as a team test rider. He was replaced by Australian rider Anthony West.
The team's best result for the season was a 2nd place finish by Randy de Puniet at a wet Japanese Grand Prix.
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Wikipedia