Kawasaki Motors Racing

Kawasaki Motors Racing
2008 nameKawasaki Racing Team
BaseAmsterdam, Netherlands
PrincipalManaging Director: Yoshio Kawamura
Racing Director: Ichiro Yoda
Competition Manager: Michael Bartholemy
Rider(s)13 Anthony West
21 John Hopkins
MotorcycleKawasaki Ninja ZX-10R
TyresBridgestone
Riders' Championships-
Kawasaki Racing Team (World Superbike)
Founded2012
Headquarters
Granollers, Spain
Key people
General Manager: Guim Roda
Crew Chiefs:
Pere Riba, Marcel Duinker
Riders for 2023:
Jonathan Rea, Alex Lowes (World Superbikes)
ParentKawasaki Heavy Industries Motorcycle & Engine
WebsiteKawasaki Racing Team by Provec Racing

Kawasaki Motors Racing was the European subsidiary of Kawasaki Heavy Industries Motorcycle & Engine, located in the Netherlands. It was responsible for managing the racing activities of the MotoGP team.[citation needed]

The subsidiary was established 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. 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 Provec Racing, based in Granollers, Barcelona Province, Spain from 2012, together with World Supersport 300 from 2019 to 2021.

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. He was replaced by Australian rider Anthony West.

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. 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.

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.

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
Japan Akira Yanagawa Ret
Australia 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
Australia Garry McCoy 16 17 18 9 15 17 18 16 16 18 Ret Ret Ret 19 13 19
Australia Andrew Pitt 17 16 15 Ret 16 Ret 14 17 19 16 21 18 16 16 15 18
Japan Akira Yanagawa 18 Ret
Germany 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
Japan Shinya Nakano 12 9 Ret Ret 7 Ret 9 7 15 12 11 3 Ret 8 12 7
Germany 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
Japan Shinya Nakano 5 8 Ret 8 10 9 8 9 Ret 6 12 Ret Ret 7 7 10 11
Germany Alex Hofmann 11 12 17 Ret 12 8 Ret 15 Ret 14
France 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
Japan Shinya Nakano 7 11 8 8 12 11 DSQ 2 Ret 6 Ret 6 Ret 8 Ret Ret 7
France Randy de Puniet Ret Ret 12 12 Ret 13 Ret 14 12 Ret 12 14 13 11 Ret 10 Ret
Japan 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
France Randy de Puniet Ret 13 8 8 Ret Ret 5 6 Ret Ret 6 8 Ret Ret 2 6 4 9
France Olivier Jacque 12 18 Ret DNS 16 DNS
Spain Fonsi Nieto 11
Australia Anthony West 11 9 8 7 12 8 12 7 12 15 16
United States Roger Lee Hayden 10
Japan 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
Australia Anthony West 16 13 16 17 14 15 12 10 Ret 10 17 5 13 11 15 12 12 17
United States John Hopkins 12 7 5 14 Ret Ret 10 Ret DNS 11 14 14 10 13 11 14
United States 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 United Kingdom 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
United Kingdom 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 Switzerland Randy Krummenacher 10 16 12 Ret 14 14 11 14 13 15 14 Ret 7 8 17 14 12 Ret
Australia Anthony West 13 8 18 14
France Sylvain Guintoli 6 8 8 8
United Kingdom Leon Haslam 2 Ret
Pedercini Racing SC-Project San Marino Alex de Angelis 14 11 16 11 15 Ret 12 15 11 Ret 17 Ret 12 Ret 14 13
Italy Riccardo Russo Ret Ret 14 14 15 16 17 16
France Jérémy Guarnoni 11 16
Grillini Racing Team Czech Republic 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
Italy 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
Italy Roberto Rolfo 13 15
Team Kawasaki Go Eleven Spain 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 United Kingdom 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 United Kingdom 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
United Kingdom 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 Spain 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 Turkey 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
United Kingdom Leon Haslam 9 16 9 Ret
Team Pedercini Racing Colombia Yonny Hernández Ret DNS 16 11 14 16 16 15 17 13 11 14 11 15 Ret 16 12 16
United Kingdom Luke Mossey 17 14
France Jérémy Guarnoni 17 19
Italy Gabriele Ruiu 14 14 15 C
Orelac Racing VerdNatura Argentina 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 Russia Vladimir Leonov DNS 17 Ret Ret
Team WD40 United Kingdom Mason Law Ret Ret

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

Year Bike Team Tyres No. Riders 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Points RC Points TC Points MC
R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2
2022 Kawasaki ZX-10RR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK P 22 United Kingdom Alex Lowes SPA
Ret
SPA
6
SPA
5
NED
Ret
NED
Ret
NED
4
POR
7
POR
6
POR
4
ITA
5
ITA
8
ITA
8
GBR
3
GBR
5
GBR
6
CZE
9
CZE
Ret
CZE
DNS
FRA
4
FRA
4
FRA
4
SPA
7
SPA
3
SPA
Ret
POR
5
POR
4
POR
5
ARG
6
ARG
5
ARG
4
INA
9
INA
7
INA
9
AUS
3
AUS
4
AUS
3
6th 272 774 3rd 530 3rd
65 United Kingdom Jonathan Rea SPA
1
SPA
2
SPA
2
NED
1
NED
1
NED
Ret
POR
3
POR
1
POR
1
ITA
2
ITA
3
ITA
4
GBR
2
GBR
2
GBR
3
CZE
4
CZE
2
CZE
3
FRA
24
FRA
3
FRA
5
SPA
2
SPA
2
SPA
4
POR
3
POR
3
POR
3
ARG
2
ARG
3
ARG
3
INA
3
INA
2
INA
3
AUS
1
AUS
3
AUS
2
3rd 502
2023 Kawasaki ZX-10RR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK P 22 United Kingdom Alex Lowes AUS
RET
AUS
4
AUS
RET
INA
10
INA
3
INA
13
NED
7
NED
4
NED
9
SPA
RET
SPA
5
SPA
4
ITA
7
ITA
6
ITA
RET
GBR
6
GBR
6
GBR
6
ITA
9
ITA
7
ITA
RET
CZE
9
CZE
7
CZE
14
FRA
8
FRA
RET
FRA
SPA
SPA
SPA
POR
5
POR
RET
POR
DNS
SPA
7
SPA
RET
SPA
DNS
149 11th 502 3rd 393 3rd
65 United Kingdom Jonathan Rea AUS
2
AUS
7
AUS
8
INA
9
INA
4
INA
Ret
NED
2
NED
2
NED
Ret
SPA
3
SPA
Ret
SPA
5
ITA
5
ITA
5
ITA
4
GBR
3
GBR
3
GBR
5
ITA
3
ITA
4
ITA
3
CZE
1
CZE
2
CZE
3
FRA
3
FRA
3
FRA
3
SPA
3
SPA
2
SPA
4
POR
3
POR
Ret
POR
10
SPA
4
SPA
3
SPA
17
370 3rd
99 Germany Florian Alt AUS AUS AUS INA INA INA NED NED NED SPA SPA SPA ITA ITA ITA GBR GBR GBR IMO IMO IMO CZE CZE CZE FRA
FRA
FRA
SPA SPA SPA POR POR POR JER
19
JER
18
JER
22
NC 0

* Season still in progress.


This page was last updated at 2024-01-03 01:05 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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