I hope you will forgive me if much of my content is about the upheaval in MotoGp at the moment, but it really is the most important thing happening just now.
Following on the report that Kawasaki test riders were testing the ’09 bikes at ECIR, comes this next startling development. Rumours are continuing to suggest that there will be Kawasakis on the grid anyway. This is due to the suggestion that some sort of private company could take over the running of the whole team and enable the bikes to continue to run this year. DORNA chiefs have been hoping that this “rescue” package could save face for both Kawasaki and DORNA.
In an interview with the Italian sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport, Ezpeleta stated that a private team structure was almost ready to go, the only problem being the question of building new engines and developing the bike. Kawasaki told Dorna that they only have enough engines for a quarter of the season, and no money to develop the bike. But the Spaniard had a solution for that to: Ezpeleta had found an engineering facility in France that is willing to take on the work from Kawasaki, build engines and continue development of the ZX-RR. Who knows, if it comes off, the French company might be able to develop the bikes so that it is competitive? Reports from the ECIR test suggest that the riders were very impressed with the ’09 iteration of the ZX-RR.
The only stumbling block is that Kawasaki have to accept these conditions and agree to turn the bikes over to the French firm. In exchange for this, and allowing the bikes to run during 2009, Ezpeleta told Gazzetta dello Sport, Dorna would be willing to allow Kawasaki to withdraw from the contract they have with the MSMA to run bikes through 2011.
What has not been mentioned also is if the bikes will, in fact, still be CALLED Kawasakis. It seems unlikely that Kawasaki would relinquish the name given that the bikes WILL be Kawasakis, but the private company would seem to want to have some recognition for their efforts as well, one would think.
Suggestions?