On Wednesday, Motorcycle News reported that Ezpeleta did not believe that Aspar would take on the responsibility of directing a private Kawasaki team, the speculation on that statement is now over as Aspar today confirmed that he would not be heading such a team, as the basic needs of his organization could not be made. As we reported earlier, the deal-breaker for Aspar was the requirement to have a Spanish rider on one of the bikes. This is because the Barcelona based team, has Spanish sponsors that need to be able to justify their advertising dollars. Another deal-breaker that came out of the talks was the fact Kawasaki’s involvement at this point in time is still short-term.
Kawasaki has committed themselves to racing in MotoGP through 2011 in a contract with Dorna. Dorna had offered Team Green a way out of that contract if the were willing to provide bikes for the 2009 season, thus keeping MotoGP’s status as a championship series in the eyes of the FIM. But Aspar et al are looking for a long-term involvement in MotoGP, thus a one-year deal would more likely hinder their long-term plans than help them. Faced with these problems, the deal fell apart, and here we are.
This leaves Michael Bartholemy, manager of the Factory Kawasaki team, as the last great hope to keeping the green bikes on the grid. From ,there is the possibility of a French company providing technical assistance in bike maintenance and development. However, now it seems more like that former MotoGP contender, British firm Ilmor, will take up this role.
The 2008 ZX-RR Ninja has a unique problem, it makes plenty of power, but has an extremely hard time getting that power down to the wheels in a way that is usable for the rider. Both John Hopkins and Anthony West complained of a lack of rear wheel traction, as well as a lack of front-end feel, making it impossible to take advantage of the Kawasaki’s potent engine. Unless Bartholemy can find someone to help him work on the chassis, then any attempt at reviving the project may be doomed before it even gets off the ground.
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