Kawasaki to leave Motogp?

Grim.

hope its not true but here's the article from MCN http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/sport/sportresults/mcn/2008/December/29-31/dec3008-kawasaki-to-quit-motogp/

Rumours are circulating that Kawasaki has shut down its factory MotoGP squad with immediate effect.

The move would leave Marco Melandri and American John Hopkins without a ride for 2009 and the MotoGP world championship down to a paltry entry of just 17 bikes.

The current global economic crisis is being cited as the reason for the decision for Kawasaki to quit the premier class after a disastrous 2008 campaign.

The Japanese factory failed to build on a promising maiden 800cc campaign with the ZX-RR a perennial backmarker in 2008. Hopkins plummeted from fourth in the rankings in ’07 to only 16th in an injury-hit campaign, while Aussie Anthony West had a torrid time and he was only 18th in the final world championship standings.

Although Japanese management had grown increasingly frustrated at the huge financial outlay for little return in terms of results, there had been no suggestion of a withdrawal for 2009.

The team had already completed two pre-season tests in Valencia and Phillip Island and work was moving forward at a rapid pace on the 2009 ZX-RR in readiness for a February debut in Sepang.

No official comment has yet been made by Kawasaki on the speculation concerning its MotoGP future.

In a recent interview with MCN, team manager Michael Bartholemy confirmed budget cuts had been enforced to counter the dramatic economic slowdown.

Speaking on how the credit crunch had impacted on Kawasaki and what it would mean for 2009, Bartholemy said: “We have approached it in a different way. People might think that for us to be more competitive we need to be spending more money. But we have to spend the same money that we spent in 2008 because everybody will reduce its budget. I have not asked them for more money, but we have heard that some manufacturers are cutting their budgets by as much as 20 to 25 per cent. So if we keep the budget then that means automatically that we will be getting closer. The outcome is though we had a cut, but we have compensated for that and it will not affect the development budget, which is crucial for us to try and move forward.”

So far Bartholemy has been unavailable for comment.

Grim.

looks like this will be confirmed with a press conference tomorrow

there's also rumors of Suzuki quiting if that happens the championship is in very big trouble due to not meeting the minimum bike requirement to run the 2009 championship

amacachi

I'm just going by the bikes I see around here, but if Kawasaki can't make ends meet I don't know how any other company can. The biggest thing annoying me about the economy right now is that sport is suffering :P

EvilMonkey

amacachi wrote: »

I'm just going by the bikes I see around here, but if Kawasaki can't make ends meet I don't know how any other company can. The biggest thing annoying me about the economy right now is that sport is suffering :P

I wouldn't be so sure its down to money Kawasaki haven't had a decent bike in a few years i think some manufactures are using the downturn in the economy to pull out of series they are struggling in rather than say they are pulling out because they cant compete.

I will miss seeing the green Kawasaki in motogp i always liked it i hope its a short term thing.

Grim.

Leading 125cc and 250cc team Aspar are working on a deal to run the ex-works Kawasakis in MotoGP this year following the Japanese manufacturer's decision to quit the series.

As reported by autosport.com earlier this week, Kawasaki is set to officially confirm its exit from MotoGP in the coming days, leaving just four factory teams on the grid.

Aspar came close to agreeing a satellite Kawasaki deal for 2009, only for the plan to fall through because Kawasaki's preferred rider Shinya Nakano was not favoured by Aspar's Spanish backers.

But now Aspar boss Jorge Martinez says talks have resumed as championship organiser Dorna works to keep a Kawasaki presence in MotoGP.

"At the moment I'm on vacation with my family," Martinez told Gazzetta dello Sport. "However, since it has been known that Kawasaki was not taking part next season, my vacations have practically finished.

"For the last two days I've been on the phone with Dorna. They called me first. We are in contact and talks to buy out the two Kawasakis have started.

"For sure I'm very interested in MotoGP. It's a project that was already in my plans. Now there is this opportunity which I don't yet know with certainty whether it will come to be and how. From my part there is the will to talk. We'll see."

Kawasaki already had John Hopkins and Marco Melandri under contract for 2009. The American's personal sponsorship from energy drink company Monster could prove valuable to any team taking on the Kawasakis, and although Martinez was unwilling to discuss rider plans, he hinted that he would also be happy to retain Melandri.

"The matter regarding riders isn't a priority at the moment," said Martinez.

"I certainly wouldn't have any problem with Melandri. In fact, he's a rider I've always liked very much."

Grim.

Kawasaki has seemingly broken its silence over the rumours they are withdrawing from MotoGP by claiming that no decision has been formally made yet.

A week since news first broke that they were on the verge of quitting the series, owing to the global economic crisis, an anonymous source has apparently revealed for the first time that it is ‘under consideration'.

According to Agent France Presse, Kawasaki are still in the process of evaluating whether it would be worth pulling out having already sunk a considerable amount of money in securing riders John Hopkins and Marco Melandri, as well as developing the 2009-specification bike.

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"The issue is under consideration," the source said. "We have made no decision. We are in contact with parties concerned so that we can decide our future course of action.”

Those ‘parties concerned' could be Jorge Martinez, who is touted to be taking on the team under the semi-works Aspar banner.

Indeed, with Dorna determined to keep up the numbers on the grid to a respectable level, the retention of Kawasaki as a fifth manufacturer is crucial in their plans, particularly as the economic downturn is expected to grip the sport further into 2009.

The withdrawal of Kawasaki Heavy Industries would see them join Japanese counterparts Honda, Suzuki and Subaru in scaling back their motorsport plans this year in a bid to ride out the storm.

Grim.

Japanese manufacturer Kawasaki has finally confirmed that it is to withdraw from the MotoGP world championship, having prevaricated over a decision most involved in the sport thought likely for some time.

The Japanese marque has joined others in various areas of motorsport - Honda in F1 and both Suzuki and Subaru in WRC - by citing the need to 'cut costs amid the global financial crisis' as the main reason for its exit from the top flight of motorcycle racing, to which it returned in 2003.

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The team was reported as spending nearly £30m a year to do battle with the likes of Honda, Yamaha, Ducati and Suzuki, but has felt the pinch as world-wide sales of its road bikes suffered in the current financial climate. Whether the familiar green machines re-appear in MotoGP also remains doubtful unless the situation improves.

"We took the final decision not to continue in MotoGP," Katsuhiro Sato confirmed, "It's something we have been considering since mid-December. In the current economic climate, and unless the situation improves, it is difficult to say if we will return."

With only Randy de Puniet's second place in Japan in 2007 to show for its efforts in its five-year stay in MotoGP, results have not been encouraging for the Kawasaki team, whose exit leaves John Hopkins and the luckless Marco Melandri without rides with just weeks to go before the start of the 2009 season.

As things stand, the MotoGP grid will have just 17 bikes when the season kicks off in Qatar in early April and promoter Dorna's only hope of increasing that number - and keeping the number of competing marques at five - now rests with a privateer Kawasaki effort. Such a possibility has been mooted in recent days, with Jorge Martinez among the options having been rumoured to be interested in running a semi-works effort, but there are no commitments to keeping either Hopkins or Melandri in the series.

The Italian, however, is among those that Dorna would like to see battling with the likes of Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner, and it is rumoured that efforts will be made to keep him involved, even though Hopkins is rumoured to bring more sponsorship to the table which, ultimately, could decide who, including those outside the erstwhile '09 Kawasaki line-up, makes any Aspar team

Edwardius

saw that this morning. That's a load of arse. 17 in the top flight is ridiculous. £30m is a lot to keep two bikes going around a track at the back of the field, midfield at best.

Edit: wonder if suzuki will bail next. Ducati can't afford to. Their business is based on racing.

Grim.

£30m is a lot to keep two bikes going around a track at the back of the field, midfield at best.

honda were rumoured to have spent 200m on the development of their first 800cc bike in 06/07 and won only four races since so imo they will be the next to leave. it will only take one more team to leave to kill the sport pff once and for all

ducati are selling crazy amounts of bikes in the US atm and are raking the money in even with the recession so id say they will be one of the last to leave but i sense massive changes for 2010 in motogp if it keeps going till then

Edwardius

Ducati couldn't leave anyway. it'd be corporate suicide! The racing team forms a massive part of that company.

Honda... never gave any thought to them pulling out, although I think they pulled out for a while in the 60's-70's. That'd be kinda freaky though. I'd say if push came to shove, given honda's influence in the series, they'll push through some crazy cost-cutting measures over the next while. If honda bail, your only option as a team would be either to lease a yamaha or a ducati. They'll probably find a way though.

I wonder if Kawasaki would've pulled the plug if they had a no.1 plate on the '09 bike though.

Grim.

honda were going to pull out this season but will stay for now and evaluate their future in motogp during the mid season or some ****e like that guessing that means change the rules to suit us again and we'll stay but we'll see what happens

agree about ducati if motogp fails ducati could be in trouble seen a quote somewhere once saying the Japanese teams are run by engineers Ducati is run by businessmen. could be wrong but apparently Stoner wanted his normal #27 for the 08 season but the marketing department made the decision to run the #1 plate because it would boost sales same with the tail section of the duc its the same as the 1098 road bike again for marketing.

LadyTBolt

Grim. wrote: »

could be wrong but apparently Stoner wanted his normal #27 for the 08 season but the marketing department made the decision to run the #1 plate because it would boost sales s

I thought the #1 plate was reserved for the current champion whether they use it or not which would mean Stoner can't use it?

Grim.

LadyTBolt wrote: »

I thought the #1 plate was reserved for the current champion whether they use it or not which would mean Stoner can't use it?

Grim. wrote: »

could be wrong but apparently Stoner wanted his normal #27 for the 08 season .

stoner was the reigning champ in 08 hence #1 on his bike but stoner apparently wanted to run his normal #27 but like i said ducati marketing stepped in and told him to run the #1 plate so they could advertise it as a championship winning bike

RxQueen

looks like the recession hit hopkins to

*gets coat*

Grim.

the only world champ i can think of who dosnt change his number is Rossi mainly because its a good luck thing for him and it was his fathers race number its also Rossi's brand he makes alot of money from selling shirts hats flags etc..

LadyTBolt

Apologies Grim, I never read the post properly, thought you were talking about the up coming season when I quoted you earlier.

Grim.

still a good chance aspar will get the bikes for a private team yet

Kawasaki might have withdrawn from the MotoGP world championship, but bizarrely test rider Olivier Jacque is poised to evaluate the new ZX-RR in a test double-header in Australia.

Kawasaki confirmed last Friday that it was to withdraw from the premier class with immediate effect because of the global economic crisis.


Yet French rider Jacque is at the Eastern Creek circuit near Sydney for a test on the 2009 ZX-RR that John Hopkins and Marco Melandri had expected to test in Sepang on February 5.

He is due to begin evaluating an all-new in-line four-cylinder motor and revised chassis at the Eastern Creek test, which is due to start on Saturday.

The test team will then move down to the Phillip Island for further testing.
News of the test gives fresh hope to rumours of a rescue package for Kawasaki, which quit MotoGP having informed team personnel in between Christmas and New Year.

Team boss Michael Bartholemy has been strongly linked with a rescue package, though he has yet to make any official comment on future plans or Kawasaki’s withdrawal.

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/sport/sportresults/mcn/2009/January/12-18/jan1409-kawasaki-testing-2009-bike/

Grim.

there testing again at Philip island tomorrow still no word on who will run the team if it goes ahead though. but they've lost the monster energy sponsorship deal to Rossi