It looks like Team Green could be back in MotoGP starting with the 2014 season. The house of Iwata called it quits with their factory racing efforts back in 2008 and have since focused on various other types of road racing.
Photo: MotoGP.com
Kawasaki directed their efforts towards the World Superbike and other national SBK championships, as well as supporting road racing in events such as the Isle of Man TT.
Prior to leaving MotoGP, Kawasaki teamed with Hayate (nowadays rebranded as Forward Racing) and had Marco Melandri aboard their ZX-RR machine. While no word came from the green officials, it's Forward Racing's Giovanni Cuzari who spilled the beans.
Giovanni Cuzari, the owner of racing outfit Forward Racing, declared he met Dorna's CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta and they talked about a potential comeback for the 2014 season. No official information was released from the MotoGP rights holders, so we are still in rumor territory.
However, Cuzari even mentioned having already contacted Ichiro Yoda, the man in charge of racing proceedings at Kawasaki, and having gotten the "we're in" answer. We ARE taking this with a large pinch of salt, as it's already March, and a MotoGP machine is not an undertaking that will be done in several months.
Kawasaki has a lot of work ahead if they want to stand a chance against other factory teams, and seeing how fast Honda and Yamaha are currently, we'd say that there is nothing Iwata can come up with to make serious threats to the two Japanese houses.
Until more credible info surfaces, we're filing this under the "rumors" tag.
Prior to leaving MotoGP, Kawasaki teamed with Hayate (nowadays rebranded as Forward Racing) and had Marco Melandri aboard their ZX-RR machine. While no word came from the green officials, it's Forward Racing's Giovanni Cuzari who spilled the beans.
Cuzari mentions having talked to Dorna top hats
Giovanni Cuzari, the owner of racing outfit Forward Racing, declared he met Dorna's CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta and they talked about a potential comeback for the 2014 season. No official information was released from the MotoGP rights holders, so we are still in rumor territory.
However, Cuzari even mentioned having already contacted Ichiro Yoda, the man in charge of racing proceedings at Kawasaki, and having gotten the "we're in" answer. We ARE taking this with a large pinch of salt, as it's already March, and a MotoGP machine is not an undertaking that will be done in several months.
Kawasaki has a lot of work ahead if they want to stand a chance against other factory teams, and seeing how fast Honda and Yamaha are currently, we'd say that there is nothing Iwata can come up with to make serious threats to the two Japanese houses.
Until more credible info surfaces, we're filing this under the "rumors" tag.
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