Kawasaki Racing Team Gears Up for Second MotoGP Year

 After 20 years on the sidelines, Kawasaki’s results in the 2003 MotoGP class races of the FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) proved to be a bit of a disappointment. But the team has turned those results to its advantage, reviewing its current approach from every angle and making some tactical changes.

 The most significant change involves joint development of chassis by Kawasaki in Europe and Japan. MotoGP games take place mostly in Europe, so having developers in Europe will be an advantage in making flexible and swift modifications of machines to meet the varied requirements of different circuits. Switching tire brands is also expected to drastically improve performance.

 Another major change is new riders on the team: Shinya Nakano, who began his international GP career in 1999 (250cc) and joined the Kawasaki squad in 2004, is a young but seasoned rider. This will be his fourth season in the top class and he is expected to make a significant contribution to improving the machines. Alex Hofmann joined the team in 2003 as a test rider and competed on a par with regular MotoGP racers in his wildcard appearances. The sole German rider in the MotoGP class, Hofmann is a promising racer who should measure up to his peers’ expectations.

 In 2004, led by the team manager, Harald Eckl, Kawasaki Racing Team is sure to take a great leap forward.

Riders’ Profiles

Shinya NAKANO   Nationality: Japanese   Date of Birth: October 10, 1977   Career Highlights:   2000   2nd FIM 250GP Championship   2001   5th FIM 500GP Championship, 500cc Rookie of the Year   2002   11th FIM MotoGP Championship   2003   10th FIM MotoGP Championship

Alex Hofmann   Nationality: German   Date of Birth: May 25, 1980   Career Highlights:   2000   26th World 250GP Championship after missing 8 races due to injury   2001   12th World 250GP Championship – best result 7th   2002   Guest rides with Kawasaki WSB team, Red Bull Yamaha and West Honda Pons MotoGP teams   2003   MotoGP test rider for Kawasaki Racing Team with wildcard appearances – best result 10th