MotoGP – Kawasaki says it is ready to play for the title in 2009! –

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Kawasaki says it is ready to play the title in 2009 !

MotoGP - Kawasaki says it is ready to play for the title in 2009! -

A full-fledged factory team since 2007, the structure managed by the Belgian Michaël Bartholemy has gradually increased: a look back at the ups and downs of the Kawasaki team in MotoGP, with a triumphant future announced in 2008…

2007 was a pivotal year for the Greens: coordinator of the Kawasaki team in MotoGP for three years, the Belgian Michaël Bartholemy was able to learn the inner workings of the premier class and determine the assets needed to win.

But when the parent company informed him at the end of 2006 of its decision to appoint him responsible for the competition and informed him of its intention to cut ties with Harald Eckl, the magnitude of the task suddenly appeared to him: "I had some doubts when Kawasaki Heavy Industries told me on November 6, 2006 that we were continuing the project and putting together a team for the following season. I was not convinced that we will get there … not because we could not, but because the weather was against us", he explains today.

Because it is true that at the time, the management of the MotoGP team was completely ensured by Harald Eckl: starting from zero, Bartholemy was obliged to create complete logistics and buy the equipment necessary for the proper functioning of the team, while following the evolution of the new Ninja ZX-RR 800 cc !

In accordance with the new regulations on maximum displacement, Kawasaki (as well as all the other manufacturers) had to review its copy as soon as the 2006 season ended: retaining the same engine architecture (a 4-cylinder in-line), the Japanese firm, which employs nearly 30,000 employees, however dared a pneumatic valve recall system.

Despite everything, the tests carried out at Sepang at the end of November 2006 highlighted a certain number of problems: if the team director and his pilots had some fears, they were swept away in mid-January, when the bike took over. the track without knowing a single problem !

"During the winter the engineers at Kawasaki worked very hard and what they managed to achieve was incredible! I understood that we would be competitive after the IRTA tests in February", specifies Bartholemy."The bike was fast, but that was not all. Engineers continued to work on the ZX-RR and we saw huge improvements throughout the year.".

However, the start of the season was not up to the expectations placed in the team: between falls and average results, Randy de Puniet and Olivier Jacque experienced multiple difficulties. A more than delicate situation, which led to the replacement of OJ by the Australian Anthony West: "we knew from the start that Olivier (34 years old, Editor’s note) was not the youngest driver on the field and it is true that I had some reservations about the fact that he was racing for us", admits Michaël Bartholemy.

The team manager nevertheless devoted all his energy to helping his two pilots, without however imagining the extent of the rehabilitation problems, then the injuries contracted by the ex-world champion 250 (in 2000).

Injured during winter testing, OJ fell in Turkey, then in China, and finally in Barcelona. By mutual agreement with the factory, our famous n ° 19 decided to throw in the towel. A courageous decision welcomed as it should by the team manager: "It was not easy for him, because he is a competitor and a former world champion. It takes a lot of courage to accept that this chapter of your life is coming to an end. But we didn’t want to lose him and I thought he could continue to participate in the development of the bike. Olivier has adapted perfectly to his new role and he is, in my opinion, the best test rider in MotoGP.".

Thanks to the internal work and the enlightened indications of Olivier Jacque, Randy and Anthony West have thus been able to experience some success: if our Frenchie waited for Japan to climb on his first podium before concretizing with a superb race in Malaysia, his teammate showed less success but an incredibly fast adaptation to the category, underlined by an astonishing dexterity in the rain.

According to Bartholemy, recruiting West has been very productive as he has scored points in every race in which he has participated (except in Valencia). A consistency that the Belgian team manager would have liked to lend to Randy, author of the greatest number of falls this season and whose eleventh place in the final – due to his seven unfinished races – cannot be considered completely satisfactory..

And while Randy was working to find a handlebar at Honda LCR, Michaël Bartholemy contacted John Hopkins: "I decided to bet on Hopper in April and it was not easy to convince the people around me", indicates the Belgian,"but take the final championship standings: Stoner remains at Ducati, Pedrosa at Honda and Rossi is linked to Yamaha … The first rider likely to change teams was Hopkins – the same one we had chosen in April – and he wanted to come to Kawasaki !"

Long considered to be inefficient and lacking in reliability, the Ninja and the entire team have therefore earned their acclaim this year. The "green ball" is regularly one of the fastest on the field – during the Valencia GP, the two pilots recorded the highest top speed – proving if it was necessary the seriousness and the application which reign at Kawasaki, whose engine engineers have reportedly found more than 15 additional horsepower between the start and end of the season version !

"I think it was maybe the first time that several riders considered Kawasaki as a serious option.", rejoices Bartholemy:"the 2007 season changed our lives and the paddock now considers us a full factory team !"

Only downside: Kawasaki is the only one of the four Japanese manufacturers not to have recorded any victories this season … A frustrating situation that Bartholemy intends to reverse in 2008 thanks to Hopkins’ skills, but also by the deliberate choice to keep the same machine: "in 2008, we will not have a new bike and that is in my opinion a very positive choice. Keeping the same bike making changes whenever necessary is something that will make us stronger. Our machine has worked better and better during the season: why risk introducing a new concept ?"

Strong reasoning, Michaël Bartholemy crosses his fingers to play a very good 2008 season … before being able to play the world title in 2009: "I am convinced that we can do it, totally convinced! We have very, very good people with us and I think we have the best team in the field. We’ve had our ups and downs, but together we’ve developed an amazing bike and built a factory team. I feel extremely proud of everyone !"

His unshakeable conviction is also based on the relationships of trust that the manager has been able to forge with Japanese leaders: an essential condition according to him to move forward in the same direction with the maximum success..

Thus, the factory has just made the promise to remain in the MotoGP program until at least 2011, while still wishing to establish a partnership with a sponsor: "Kawasaki is very aware of the expense of MotoGP, which is why we have worked hard this year to attract a big sponsor from outside the motorcycle world … But it’s not just about the money, it’s is also to associate our name with other markets than motorcycles", specifies the team manager.

Lucid and determined, this straightforward man wants to establish Kawasaki’s reputation in the ultra-competitive world of MotoGP: counting on West’s consistency and Hopper’s stubbornness, the team manager intends to slip green on the podium as often as possible! See you in 2008 … on Site obviously !

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