MCN reports today that Kawasaki have set a date as to when they will cease development on the Hayate project. New parts for the bike will be developed until the final pre-season test session (Jerez, Spain on March 28/29). After this, Kawasaki will only provide maintenance support for the existing parts and engine.

Marco Melandri will effectively be stuck with the same spec bike through the entire season, whilst the other teams continue develeopment on the 2009 bikes thoroughout the season.

Melandri recently stated that he’d rather be riding in the premier class to try to secure some meaningful results in the hope of securing a ride with a new team for 2010 season. At this rate he’ll be hoping for a load of DNFs in each race to be able to get close to doing this – 2009 is beginning to look as bleak as 2008 was for melandri.

Hayate team manager and Melandri’s crew chief Andrea Dosoli told MCN:
“We have all the conditions to move forward for 2009. Kawasaki will supply the bike and the spare parts and take care of engine maintenance.

“We will have development until the end of March and then it will stop or be reduced quite a lot.

“For sure the wish of any engineer is to develop the bike during the year but we have some budget reduction and that is the main reason why they suspended their racing activity. But we have enough parts to run for the whole season.

“We just won’t have any updates once Kawasaki scales down its involvement at the end of the month.”

John Hopkins has been quiet (or has been told to be quiet) on his future plans since his ride in MotoGP for Kawasaki collapsed.

A post on his personal blog a few months ago was the closest thing to a statement from Hopper that expressed his frustration. Hopper has now posted another, albeit thin on information, statement that announces that he should have an announcement soon.

John Hopkins statement:

WHATS UP! Its Hopper!!!!
Hey everyone…. I just wanted to put a quick post to tell you something you all already know…. I read my website every single day as you guys keep me going, and I enjoy hearing how everyone is doing. I have been under STRICT instruction from my management not to comment on anything or talk of any plans from here. I notice that someone got a little emotional for me not updating and keeping everybody informed, but I will give you my word right here and now “I promise you all, as payback for your support, as soon as I get the go ahead on what I can do and say this page will have the first press release from myself!”. It seems that anything I say can be twisted or minipulated in the media, so I am choosing to not say much to avoid any confliction or drama. I appreciate all of you that support me, you are true die hards and thats awesome. All I will say is, you are all in for big treat!!!!! As always, THANK YOU …

Kawasaki have announced that they will be running a one bike team with Marco Melandri and the sole rider for 2009.

A statement confirmed the team’s return to the sport comes in the wake of “constructive talks between Kawasaki, MotoGP organisers and other involved parties”.

Kawasaki Statement:
“This decision was made after negotiations that followed Kawasaki’s January 2009 announcement to suspend its MotoGP activities due to the economic crisis,” the statement continued.

“The rider for the new MotoGP team will be Marco Melandri. The team will be equipped with Kawasaki motorcycles and supporting materials.

“That Kawasaki have come to this new team approach is the result of, on the one hand, the need for a strong reduction of MotoGP racing investments and, on the other hand, the necessity to come to constructive solutions for all related parties.”

John Hopkins is not part of Kawasaki’s MotoGP plans.

Full Kawasaki statement below:
“Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. announced today that it has decided to suspend its factory MotoGP racing activities from 2009 season.

“Amid quickly changing business environment, Kawasaki has been promptly taking countermeasures to cope with the situation. As the world economy is not likely to recover in a short period due to the major impact of the financial crisis, Kawasaki decided to suspend its MotoGP racing activities from 2009 season onward and reallocate management resources more efficiently.

“Kawasaki will continue racing activities using mass-produced motorcycles as well as supporting general race-oriented customers. Kawasaki would like to thank all the fans and all those who have forwarded us great help.

“Mr Yoshio Kawamura, the managing director of Kawasaki Motors Racing B.V. deeply appreciates the contribution and the dedication brought by staff members of the MotoGP team.”

So, 17 bikes on the grid for 2009 unless Jorge Martinez can work out a deal to keep the bikes racing under his team leadership

John Hopkins has updated his blog hitting out at certain sectors of the press and stating that some of his comments he has made about the recent news of Kawasaki pulling out of MotoGP for 2009 have been patently false.

Hopkins wrote:
“Hey guys. As you all know, everything is up in the air and people want answers. Everything from here is now in my managers hands. I have read nearly all articles posted and find it absolutely crazy how people are stating that I have announced this / or said that. when in fact I have avoided ALL phone-calls from the media until time permits. There will be an official press release held very soon, where we can confirm or deny all rumors. I will let you all now as soon as I get the go ahead. I just wanted to say thank you for all your support through this year and now. will keep you posted…… “

You’d never catch motogpworld.net making wild assumptions about Hopkins’s future – he said he was going to AMA during a 10 hour drinking, gambling and tattooing session we had with him…..probably

It has been reported that Kawasaki will be confirming their future plans in MotoGP this week, as speculation over the last few days has suggested that they are about to withdraw from MotoGP 2009, leaving their riders John Hopkins and Marco Melandri without rides.

Hopkins, intenviewd by cyclenews.com said: “I heard it’s up in the air, but I haven’t heard anything confirmed yet.

“I got some calls from the team manager [Michael Bartholemy] and he said that everything could be up in the air as to whether they run it or not, but nothing has been confirmed. I don’t know what it would do to me. I’m really not sure.

“I’ve been talking to my managers and seeing what the plan is and they’ve been on the phone to Japan trying to figure it out as well. Right now I’m still contracted to them so I’m not sure what the plan is.”

Melandri is likely to be the rider that may suffer the most from this, despite being a proven winner and arguably a more talented rider than his team-mate, he doesn’t have the sponsorship that John Hopkins would bring to another team – Hopkins is sponsored by Monster Energy Drinks. Melandri could also have burnt his bridges by previously turning down a return to Honda Gresini in favour of Kawasaki (and there’s no way he’d be going back to Ducati).

There is speculation that Dorna are talking to Jorge Martinez’s Aspar team to persuade him to run the Kawasaki team. Dorna will want to keep the bikes in the series, as Kawasaki’s depature would leave only 17 bikes on the grid and 4 manufacturers for 2009.

Until a full announcement is made we’ll leave you with the statement that John Hopkins posted on his personal website:

“As you all know, everything is up in the air and people want answers. Everything from here is now in my manager’s hands. I have read nearly all articles posted and find it absolutely crazy how people are stating that I have announced this/or said that, when in fact I have avoided ALL phone-calls from the media until time permits.

“There will be an official press release held very soon, where we can confirm or deny all rumours. I will let you all now as soon as I get the go ahead. I just wanted to say thank you for all your support through this year and now. Will keep you posted…”

John Hopkins has had a torrid time since moving to Kawasaki, suffering injuries, poor performances and technical issues (including a snapped chain) from his bike – but at least he has something to smile about now, as the operation to remove metal plating from his left foot and ankle has been deemed a success. By removing his set-backs one by one, we’ll soon be able to find out if he really can get that Kawasaki moving, or if he’s destined to stay MotoGP’s ‘nearly man’. 2009 looks likely to be a make or break season for much of Kawasaki’s racing staff after a dismal 2008.

Press Release:
Kawasaki’s John Hopkins was in a buoyant mood and looking forward to a period of rest and recuperation after undergoing successful surgery at the Fremont Surgery Centre in California on Thursday.

The 25-year-old Anglo-American underwent a surgical procedure to remove the metal plates from his left ankle and left foot, inserted following his high-speed crash during practice for this year’s Dutch TT at Assen in June.

Surgeons, led by the world renowned Doctor Arthur Ting, also performed keyhole surgery to clean up scar tissue and cartilage damage in Hopkins’ left knee, which he injured in the same Assen crash.

Doctor Ting also took the opportunity during the operation to remove a metal plate from the Kawasaki pilot’s left hand, the result of a previous injury, to leave Hopkins hardware free for the first time in three years.

Hopkins remained in the Fremont Surgery Centre overnight following the operation, but will return home to San Diego following a 24-hour post surgical evaluation today, Friday 5th December.

The Kawasaki pilot will now require four weeks of rest and recuperation, with only mild rehabilitation exercise, before resuming his full training and conditioning programme ahead of the 2009 MotoGP season.

John Hopkins: Kawasaki
“It’s unbelievable; it’s great to be hardware free again after all this time. I have had several injuries in the past and have had to go through a few surgical ordeals since I was 13-years-of-age, but you never really get used to it. Now all the metal is out of my body I’m looking forward to some rest and recuperation, and spending time with my wife Ashleigh and our two families during the Christmas holiday period. Doctor Ting reckons it will be four weeks before I can start training properly again, but that should give me time to be fighting fit, ready for the start of pre-season testing at the end of January.”

Michael Bartholemy: Kawasaki Competition Manager
“John has been either injured, or handicapped by his injuries, for almost the entire season, so the removal of all the metal from his body is an important step in the recovery process for him. John will need approximately four weeks to recover fully from the surgery, but he will then be able to resume his pre-season training programme at full intensity, which should see him fully fit again prior to the first test of the new season at the end of January. It’s been hard watching John ride injured this year, so I’m looking forward to seeing him back on the bike fully fit once again. Having John back at 100 percent is important to us now, as we will have the all-new Ninja ZX-RR at the first test of 2009, and we need both our riders on top form if we are to have the bike ready for the first race in April.”

He told motosprint magazine:
“It’s clear that we’ll have to do a lot better next year. There is great pressure on us, we have been told we must get results. The message comes from the boss at Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Tamba.

“The pressure on me is enormous and perhaps my next chance will be the last for my work. If we don’t get the result, I will probably lose my position.”

Kawasaki finished in last place in 2008, and riders Ant West and John Hopkins rarely finished in the Top 10. With John Hopkins regulary getting injured (or drunk), and Marco Melandri just starting his first season on the Kawasaki, Yoda better start working on his CV.

Marco Melandri was interviewed by GPOne on life beginning again at Kawasaki, how testing has been so far, and how he feels amongst his new team. The interview was confucted after his first day of testing at Valencia – translated interview below:

“Its been a positive day, no doubt about it. In the beginning it wasn’t easy to find the feeling with a Japanese bike, its weight distribution is so very different from Ducati’s – but lap after lap the feeling came back and also how to ride. We’ve worked carefully and methodically today and made some constistent steps forward. Obviously there’s a lot of work to do, but the team is very enthusiastic. We know that the coming year is going to be difficult, but if we want it, it can work. I’m not afraid of working hard.”

How did you find the garage?
“I felt right at home and got a big welcome from everyone. The atmosphere here is much more cheerful, more suitable to my style. I think we can have fun also off track but for now we’ll do it on the track.”

How do you judge your results today and those of Hopkins?
“John was much faster today that in yesterday’s race and we’re both in the middle of the chart, so that’s already an improvement when both Kawasaki’s were always at the bottom of the charts, just like me.”

How happy are you on a scale of 1 to 10
“I wouldn’t know how to quantify it, but it would sure be at least a 6. After the first lap I was already smiling and I even had fun and like I said before it took awhile before I could get used to this type of bike again.”

So you’ve found a bike that’s similar to a Honda?
“I’d say that this Kawasaki seems to be a mix between a Honda and a Yamaha but I can only remember the 990 Yamaha. Certainly today’s bike is not a winner, but it’s not as disastrous as you would probably think, considering the results this year. The area where we have to work on the most is the balance because we’ll have to adapt the bike to these new tires, mostly the front one. That’s our priority then we’ll work on other aspects.”

How did you find the Bridgestone control tire?
“Basically they’re the same tires used by Ducati and Yamaha this year, for us the front is the problem because the carcass is too hard. Like I said to adapt we have to work on the chassis and suspensions.”

Source: GpOne