http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/racing/kawa/Today is a day of waiting if your a MotoGP fan, particularly a Kawasaki MotoGP fan. With all the drama that has been surrounding the Team in Green, a meeting in Japan may define how the rest of the season shapes up. Michael Bartholemy is in Japan today for talks with Kawasaki about the level of support they can/will provide to a potential privateer team.
Support has become a major issue since Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta revealed that Kawasaki only had enough parts to see out 25% of the 2009 season, and would not be able to handle engine development or maintenance.
This issue was alleviated partially by Bartholemy announcing that he has found a French company, which could handle at least some of that support work for the racing spares. It is speculated that if he can persuade Kawasaki to hand over the entire MotoGP operation to this French company, then there is a possibility that the team could be saved.
Lastly, there is still the issue of Jorge “Aspar” Martinez, and whether he would direct and fund the operation. A few sources have wheeled out the jump to conclusions mat on this topic, saying that he will not be involved in a Kawasaki privateer team, but the only basis for this assertion seems to be Aspar’s statement that he’d want at least one Spanish rider. To us, this issue has not come out as a deal breaker.
