**edit:Bartholemy speaks**Melandri:with Kawasaki next year

[sneakypete]

bugger
i do like Melandri, but wish Westy had done enough to stay...

Marco Melandri has confirmed to MCN that he will join Kawasaki’s factory squad for the 2009 MotoGP world championship.

Speaking to MCN in Brno last night, the Italian revealed he informed Kawasaki boss Michael Bartholemy immediately after Sunday’s Czech Republic GP that he had accepted an offer to ride a factory ZX-RR with John Hopkins next season.

“Next year I will be with Kawasaki. Everything is okay with them. I just have to sign. I have agreed with them for the future and I will be with them.We have been talking together and we are okay on all the points,“ said the former world 250 champion.

Melandri was also in discussions about a possible return to Fausto Gresini’s satellite Honda squad. But his preference was to remain in a factory team and Melandri confirmed he had informed his former team boss of his decision to sign with Kawasaki on Sunday night.

“I have explained my reasons to Fausto. I was very positive to go back with Fausto but finally I decided to go another way and I want to ride the Kawasaki because to me on track it looks a good bike.”

After a nightmare season with Ducati, Melandri recently negotiated a termination of his two-year contract a year early at the end of the 2008 season.

His place next to reigning world champion Casey Stoner will be taken by 2006 MotoGP world champion Nicky Hayden in a deal that is expected to be confirmed in Misano later this month.

[Lone Wolf]

Will be interesting

[red_dave]

Linky - http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/sport/sportresults/mcn/2008/august/18-24/aug1808-melandri-goes-to-kawasaki/

[Tinman]

I Like Melandri I thought he would go well with Ducati.

I hope the zx-rr suits him better and the mighty Kwaka can be up there with the others

[mick_dundee]

I hope the zx-rr suits him better and the mighty Kwaka can be up there with the others

Ya gotta wonder what it takes, or at least I do, given that whilst I personally doubt westy or hopper will ever be a world champ I think it's fair to say that neither are shit riders, so if the riders aren't the prob, and the bike has been designed bascially with the track in mind rather than a road bike converted to a track bike, what's it gonna take for Kwaka to be competitive?

Is it a money thing, is it ore R&D, more testing?

[Tinman]

I hope the zx-rr suits him better and the mighty Kwaka can be up there with the others

Ya gotta wonder what it takes, or at least I do, given that whilst I personally doubt westy or hopper will ever be a world champ I think it's fair to say that neither are shit riders, so if the riders aren't the prob, and the bike has been designed bascially with the track in mind rather than a road bike converted to a track bike, what's it gonna take for Kwaka to be competitive?

Is it a money thing, is it ore R&D, more testing?

I definatly think it's bout the money, KHI can make more money in their big machinary than motorcycles.

The motorcycle's is like the crum piece of the pie.

But we could always dream can't we

[Six Addict]

ur right tinny,

its interest... KHI need to take an interest in motogp for it to be successfull...

i believe they have a good budget, and do the same amount of testing, and the riders arent useless, but its also engineering expertise....

u can test and develop all u like but if your not moving in the right directions and making the right decisions then u can test and develop and sink big money in to anything with no reward

[Blurr]

what I wonder is that when they sent westy away over the break to regroup and get it together in a hope to come back and perform or he was gone were they just pissing in his pocket until they could lock in Melandri?

I mean westy came back and put on a good showing. What else did he have to do on his return after the break to guarrenttee his spot?

[robracer]

I mean westy came back and put on a good showing. What else did he have to do on his return after the break to guarrenttee his spot?

........ PODIUM FINISH

[mick_dundee]

Of course there is always the possibility that Kwaka run 3 riders next year... not like it would set a precedent, but I kinda doubt it personally.

[Phil]

There will be a third bike next year, but Alvaro Bautista will be riding it for Jorge "Aspar" Martinez in a new satelite team.

[red_dave]

There will be a third bike next year, but Alvaro Bautista will be riding it for Jorge "Aspar" Martinez in a new satelite team.

[Six Addict]

jesus i wanna know who u know phil... alvaro hasnt even won the 250s... and jorge martinez has never run a kawi....

[sneakypete]

Toni Elias is the latest one into the picture as well...

[sneakypete]

all hope is not yet lost.....

from Motogp.com

Explaining what Melandri´s arrival would mean for current Kawasaki rider Anthony West, Bartholemy declared, `With regard to Anthony he will not be part of the main Kawasaki MotoGP team next season but we want to offer him a contract to remain as a Kawasaki factory rider, because we have invested a lot in him to bring him up a level since he joined us last year. That could mean that Anthony rides for us in another World Championship series.´

Meanwhile, Bartholemy is also still finalising plans to bring a third Kawasaki machine onto the MotoGP grid on a permanent basis next season and is positive about such a project taking place. For West that could mean a chance to remain in the premier class of motorcycle competition depending on sponsorship demands.

As Bartholemy explained, `If we do run a third bike it would be up to the sponsors and the management who the rider is, but Anthony West could be part of the package that we offer. In Misano we should be able to confirm that Melandri has joined us and we should be able to clarify the situation with the third bike.´