Kawasaki Motors Racing

Kawasaki Motors Racing was the European subsidiary of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and was located in Netherlands. It was responsible for managing the racing activities of the MotoGP team.

Kawasaki Motors Racing
2008 nameKawasaki Racing Team
BaseAmsterdam, Netherlands
PrincipalManaging Director: Yoshio Kawamura
Racing Director: Ichiro Yoda
Competition Manager: Michael Bartholemy
Rider(s)33 Marco Melandri
21 John Hopkins
MotorcycleKawasaki Ninja ZX-10R
TyresPirelli
Riders' Championships-
Kawasaki Racing Team (World Superbike, World Supersport 300)
Founded2012
Headquarters
Barcelona, Spain
Key people
General Manager: Guim Roda
Crew Chiefs:
Pere Riba, Marcel Duinker
Riders for 2020:
Jonathan Rea, Alex Lowes (World Superbikes)
Ana Carrasco (World Supersport 300)
ParentKawasaki Heavy Industries
WebsiteProvec Racing

The subsidiary was set up in 2007 as a result of the Japanese manufacturer's necessary split from Harald Eckl's organisation, who managed the Kawasaki MotoGP team since 2002. The reason for the split was Eckl's involvement with a competitor's MotoGP activities, which forced Kawasaki to terminate the relationship immediately.[1] For the first time since Kawasaki returned to the premier class of motorcycle racing, the team became a complete ‘in house’ factory team.

On January 9, 2009, Kawasaki announced it had decided to "... suspend its MotoGP racing activities from 2009 season onward and reallocate management resources more efficiently". The company stated that it will continue racing activities using mass-produced motorcycles as well as supporting general race oriented consumers.

The emphasis was subsequently placed on World Superbike Championship racing using the Kawasaki ZX-10R road bike as a basis, with Paul Bird Motorsport (2009-2011) and Barcelona-based Provec Racing from 2012,[2][3] together with World Supersport 300 from 2019.[4]

Racing background

2007 MotoGP season

The team used the new 800cc Ninja ZX-RR and Bridgestone tyres in 2007. Randy de Puniet and Olivier Jacque were chosen as team riders.

Olivier Jacque crashed in practice during the Chinese Grand Prix, gashing his arm severely enough to be unable to race for 2 Grands Prix. He returned to racing only to crash again during practice at the Catalan Grand Prix, missing this race too. Following the series of injuries, Jacque announced his retirement from competition, but planned to continue as a team test rider.[5] He was replaced by Australian rider Anthony West.[6]

The team's best result for the season was a 2nd-place finish by Randy de Puniet at a wet Japanese Grand Prix.

2008 MotoGP season

For 2008 John Hopkins joined the team alongside Anthony West. Results were poor though, being regular midfield runners throughout the season.

In August 2008, Kawasaki signed Marco Melandri to join John Hopkins for the 2009 season.[7] However, the global financial crisis of 2008 caused Kawasaki to reconsider its MotoGP program, and the Italian sports daily Tuttosport reported on December 30 that Kawasaki would be pulling out of MotoGP for 2009.[8]

2009 MotoGP season

After negotiations with DORNA, Kawasaki provided a scaled down team named Hayate Racing Team for the 2009 season. The team was renamed due to limited factory involvement, with Kawasaki providing only one bike with Marco Melandri as the sole rider.[9]

The team achieved better than expected results with 6th and 5th placings early in the season. Melandri finished in 2nd place at the French Grand Prix. This result is equal to Kawasaki's best ever result in MotoGP and is their first podium finish since 2007.

MotoGP results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Bike Tyres Riders 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Points Pos.
2002 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR D JPN SAF ESP FRA ITA CAT NED GBR GER CZE POR RIO PAC MAL AUS VAL 4 13th
Akira Yanagawa Ret
Andrew Pitt 19 17 12
2003 D JPN SAF ESP FRA ITA CAT NED GBR GER CZE POR RIO PAC MAL AUS VAL 15 12th
Garry McCoy 16 17 18 9 15 17 18 16 16 18 Ret Ret Ret 19 13 19
Andrew Pitt 17 16 15 Ret 16 Ret 14 17 19 16 21 18 16 16 15 18
Akira Yanagawa 18 Ret
Alex Hofmann 16 14 10 17 19
2004 B SAF ESP FRA ITA CAT NED RIO GER GBR CZE POR JPN QAT MAL AUS VAL 134 7th
Shinya Nakano 12 9 Ret Ret 7 Ret 9 7 15 12 11 3 Ret 8 12 7
Alex Hofmann Ret 13 Ret 14 11 13 11 10 19 13 13 10 9 Ret 13 11
2005 B ESP POR CHN FRA ITA CAT NED USA GBR GER CZE JPN MAL QAT AUS TUR VAL 150 6th
Shinya Nakano 5 8 Ret 8 10 9 8 9 Ret 6 12 Ret Ret 7 7 10 11
Alex Hofmann 11 12 17 Ret 12 8 Ret 15 Ret 14
Olivier Jacque 2 11 Ret Ret DNS 16 13
2006 B ESP QAT TUR CHN FRA ITA CAT NED GBR GER USA CZE MAL AUS JPN POR VAL 129 7th
Shinya Nakano 7 11 8 8 12 11 DSQ 2 Ret 6 Ret 6 Ret 8 Ret Ret 7
Randy de Puniet Ret Ret 12 12 Ret 13 Ret 14 12 Ret 12 14 13 11 Ret 10 Ret
Naoki Matsudo Ret
2007 B QAT ESP TUR CHN FRA ITA CAT GBR NED GER USA CZE SMR POR JPN AUS MAL VAL 176 7th
Randy de Puniet Ret 13 8 8 Ret Ret 5 6 Ret Ret 6 8 Ret Ret 2 6 4 9
Olivier Jacque 12 18 Ret DNS 16 DNS
Fonsi Nieto 11
Anthony West 11 9 8 7 12 8 12 7 12 15 16
Roger Lee Hayden 10
Akira Yanagawa 17
2008 B QAT ESP POR CHN FRA ITA CAT GBR NED GER USA CZE SMR IND JPN AUS MAL VAL 112 9th
Anthony West 16 13 16 17 14 15 12 10 Ret 10 17 5 13 11 15 12 12 17
John Hopkins 12 7 5 14 Ret Ret 10 Ret DNS 11 14 14 10 13 11 14
Jamie Hacking 11

World Superbike Championship
Year Team Bike Tyres Riders 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Points Pos.
2017 PHI CHA ARA ASS IMO DON MIS LAG LAU POR MAG JER LOS 599 1st
R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2
Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX-10RR P Jonathan Rea 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 2 Ret 1 3 2 2 1 2 2 1 1 1 Ret 1 1 1 1
Tom Sykes 3 6 3 2 3 4 2 2 4 3 1 2 1 3 3 2 3 4 DNS DNS 3 7 3 5 6 Ret
Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Randy Krummenacher 10 16 12 Ret 14 14 11 14 13 15 14 Ret 7 8 17 14 12 Ret
Anthony West 13 8 18 14
Sylvain Guintoli 6 8 8 8
Leon Haslam 2 Ret
Pedercini Racing SC-Project Alex de Angelis 14 11 16 11 15 Ret 12 15 11 Ret 17 Ret 12 Ret 14 13
Riccardo Russo Ret Ret 14 14 15 16 17 16
Jérémy Guarnoni 11 16
Grillini Racing Team Ondřej Ježek 18 17 18 13 DNS DNS 16 18 16 17 18 13 14 12 19 17 Ret 16 16 11 16 18 15 Ret 14 14
Ayrton Badovini 17 Ret Ret 14 Ret 17 15 16 15 Ret 16 14 13 11 16 Ret 16 18 12 9 DNS 15 Ret DNS
Roberto Rolfo 13 15
Team Kawasaki Go Eleven Román Ramos 13 14 15 9 Ret 11 7 11 9 11 11 8 8 Ret 12 12 14 14 10 15 12 9 10 11 10 10
Royal Air Force Reg. & Res. Kawasaki Jake Dixon Ret 9
2018 PHI CHA ARA ASS IMO DON BRN LAG MIS POR MAG VIL LOS 570 1st
R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2
Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK Kawasaki ZX-10RR P Jonathan Rea 5 2 1 4 1 2 1 2 1 1 2 3 1 Ret 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 C
Tom Sykes 2 4 6 Ret 6 6 4 1 2 3 3 6 3 16 7 8 5 5 5 5 2 4 6 5 2 C
Team GoEleven Kawasaki Román Ramos 14 11 14 13 10 11 11 Ret Ret 12 19 Ret 13 10 12 12 13 15 14 Ret 15 18 12 13 14 C
Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Toprak Razgatlıoğlu 13 10 15 8 9 9 10 9 11 8 21 2 10 9 Ret DNS 11 12 8 Ret 8 12 3 7 10 C
Leon Haslam 9 16 9 Ret
Team Pedercini Racing Yonny Hernández Ret DNS 16 11 14 16 16 15 17 13 11 14 11 15 Ret 16 12 16
Luke Mossey 17 14
Jérémy Guarnoni 17 19
Gabriele Ruiu 14 14 15 C
Orelac Racing VerdNatura Leandro Mercado 10 12 13 Ret Ret 13 8 Ret 15 10 13 12 12 17 Ret 11 10 17 11 15 14 15 Ret 12 12 C
SPB racing Vladimir Leonov DNS 17 Ret Ret
Team WD40 Mason Law Ret Ret

References
  1. "Kawasaki: A new beginning in 2007". kawasaki-motogp.com. 2006-11-29. Retrieved 2008-01-24.
  2. Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki.eu Retrieved 11 January 2019
  3. KRT 2019 launch date is set Kawasaki.eu Retrieved 11 January 2019
  4. Ana Carrasco signs with Provec Racing in WorldSSP300 wsbk.com, 3 January 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019
  5. "West to Replace Jacque at Kawasaki". gpupdate.net. 2007-06-21. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  6. "Anthony West gets a Kawasaki MotoGP Ride for the remainder of the season". Daily Motos. June 21, 2007. Archived from the original on May 24, 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-24.
  7. "Marco Melandri confirms Kawasaki switch". motorcyclenews.com. 2008-08-19. Retrieved 2009-01-05.
  8. "Kawasaki: addio MotoGp. Melandri a piedi". Tuttosport. 2008-12-30. Retrieved 2009-01-05.
  9. Kawasaki to race as Hayate MotoGP in 2009 motorcyclenews.com. Retrieved on 2009-05-09
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