South West Bikers | Motorcycle Forum

Even more twists and turns from kawasaki - if they're bailing, why are they testing



From elsewhere ....

"Reports are showing that Kawasaki is about to resume its testing, with Olivier Jacque taking laps at Phillip Island on the 2009 ZX-RR. The French rider is at the Eastern Creek circuit near Sydney for a test on the ZX-RR, which was being developed for John Hopkins and Marco Melandri for the 2009 season. Jacque will be testing an all new in-line four-cylinder motor and revised chassis at the Eastern Creek test, starting this Saturday.

After Eastern Creek, the test team will then move down to the Phillip Island for further testing and development. This news and commitment from Kawasaki adds further credence to the reports that we will see them, in some form or another, on the grid during the 2009 season. Kawasaki MotoGP manager, Michael Bartholemy, has been strongly linked with the rescue package, though he has yet to make any official comment on the future plans of Kawasaki and its withdrawal late last year."

Well they can't officially test (MotoGP) for another week or so - maybe they're doing it for the World or Aussie Superbikes

Developing for a privateer team to take over? Would make financial sense to have customer bikes. But which team would have a kawasaki? I thought it was Japanese for last...

wasnt apsar martinez rumoured to be wanting to buy them/lease them but not with the two current riders. with his spanish links and spanish sponsorship 1 of the bikes is rumoured to be earmarked for fonsi neito ( who !!!! ) but that means kwak making hopper or melandri redundant and that would probably cost kwak a fair wedge

Funky wrote:kawasaki? I thought it was Japanese for last...

But to be fair... I thought it was Japanese for 'best looking bike in show'...

deej wrote:wasnt apsar martinez rumoured to be wanting to buy them/lease them but not with the two current riders. with his spanish links and spanish sponsorship 1 of the bikes is rumoured to be earmarked for fonsi neito ( who !!!! ) but that means kwak making hopper or melandri redundant and that would probably cost kwak a fair wedge

Yes it was Aspar ... was trying to remember who it was earlier and couldn't There's a rumour that Hopper & Melandri are heading to WSB. There's another rumour that Hopper is going to Yamaha as a 5th rider (or even replacing CE). Then again crash.net are saying that Ezpeleta has told Kwak they can't pull out as they're contracted until 2011, but he'd let them out 2 years early if they race this year. Rumours rumours rumours ...