Petronas wins 2009 MotoGP

Im proud to be Malaysian, at last my dream come true,my idol racer, Rossi will ride for Malaysia and he will wins races. Sunday gonna sleep early then wake up for Sunat Tahajjud and Hajat then continue with MotoGp Qatar at 4.am Monday. What a great way to start Monday morning.

Dorna CEO threatens to sue Kawasaki if they don’t race in 2009 MotoGP

Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta has warned Kawasaki that its ZX-RRs must race in MotoGP this season - something that is looking more likely after a subsequent revelation that factory test rider Olivier Jacque is currently on track in Australia.

Kawasaki, which officially announced that it was suspending its factory MotoGP activities on January 9, has a contract with Dorna to race in MotoGP until the end of 2011. Ezpeleta told La Gazetta dello Sport that he was willing to release Kawasaki from the final two years of that agreement, providing its bike are on the 2009 grid.

“There is an agreement until 2011, which Dorna has with all the factories,” Ezpeleta told the sportspaper. “It cannot just be discarded.

“I have told Kawasaki that I would not accept this contract being broken and, since they have said that the costs for this season are budgeted, I have proposed that they race in 2009. In exchange I will release them from 2010 and 2011.

“The problem with this is that Kawasaki says it only has engines built for 25% of the championship and that they don’t want to develop the rest. Therefore I am searching for a structure, in France, to do this for them. The final obstacle will be to get the Japanese to meet these people and agree to this scenario.”

When asked how optimistic he was of success, Ezpeleta declared “I think that it will all be resolved” then revealed that Kawasaki are testing today (Wednesday) and that he expects the current team structure to remain.

“Today Olivier Jacque is testing at Eastern Creek, in Australia. The team will continue to be managed by Michael Bartholemy and it is important to safeguard the futures of John Hopkins and Marco Melandri.”

Despite such optimism, Ezpeleta once again warned Kawasaki that it cannot simply walk away: “If Kawasaki will not race, I will take them to court.”

Those words could also be seen as warning to any other manufacturers thinking of quitting.

Ezpeleta also added that he wants a series of cost cutting measures - such as a reduction in testing, and engines that last for two or three grand prix weekends - agreed before the start of this season and is aiming to boost grid numbers to 20 riders for 2010.

Kawasaki’s apparent withdraw had reduced the 2009 MotoGP field to just 17 riders.

Source

KAWASAKI PRESS RELEASE

It's official Kawasaki will quit MotoGp next season!!! Damn I was looking forward to see Kawasaki fight for the championship with their new screamer engine. The 2005 MotoGP runner up Melandri is surely cursing his bad luck, maybe he should go 'mandi bunga' to get rid of his bad luck!

BBC Sport Website

Japanese manufacturer Kawasaki has pulled out of MotoGP to cut costs amid the global financial crisis. "We took the final decision not to continue in MotoGP," said Kawasaki's Katsuhiro Sato. "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." Kawasaki had competed in motorcycling's premier class since the 2003 season, with annual costs of around £28.8m. The worldwide economic downturn has also affected other Japanese marques involved in motorsport. Honda announced in December it is quitting Formula One, while Subaru and Suzuki are out of the World Rally Championship

Kawasaki has also felt the bite with sales of its bikes in the United States and Europe badly hit by the economic slump. Dutch-based Kawasaki Motors Racing failed to win in MotoGP, their best result French rider Randy de Puniet's second place in Japan in 2007.

The team had a miserable 2008 campaign , with John Hopkins injured for much of it and finishing 16th overall. Kawasaki's decision leaves the American and new team-mate Marco Melandri of Italy looking for rides ahead of the 2009 season. Melandri, who has won five MotoGPs, finished runner-up to compatriot Valentino Rossi in 2005. Kawasaki's exit, assuming its two bikes are not taken on by an independent team, leaves the MotoGP grid with 17 riders. Points are awarded down to 15th place.

SOURCE 1

SOURCE 2

Kawasaki to withdraw from MotoGP?

What? Really? Why?

Kawasaki to announce their withdrawal from MotoGP on the 5th January next week. The reason is not yet clear, I think maybe they decided when Hopkins bikes loose it's chain on the Le Mans. Hehehe... Just kidding. As most of people commented, it's due because of the cost and financial. I was shocked to read this news. Kawasaki's withdrawal will be the fourth time a Japanese manufacturer has pulled out of a major motorsport category in recent weeks. Honda announced in early December that it was quitting Formula One, while Subaru and Suzuki confirmed later in the month that they were stopping their programmes in the World Rally Championship. This is a slap to MotoGP. Lets wait and see what Kawa will announce on this 5th. Source.

MotoGP-Qatar-Losail 9 March 08

1.Casey Stoner- Ducati 2.Jorge Lorenzo-Yamaha 3. Dani Pedrosa-Honda Beautiful Losail Circuit, Qatar at night.

Who ignite that sparks...hey its from the knee slider

hey guys check the hanging off position of all the bikers...notice the differences among them.

Hopskin with his well known elbow draggin

Losail night race coming soon

Well, rossi got his bridgestones, hopefully no more excuses from him.
how we wish there will be a night race in Sepang.

Can stoner do it again, its gonna be a real fight since the japanese has tweaked their machine to answer to ducati's power.

Just imagine the growling sound of motogp pipes breaking the silence of the night.