Kawasaki to stay in MotoGP after all?

To quote Mark Twain, "The rumors of Kawasaki's death in MotoGP may be greatly exaggerated." Fine, so it's not an exact quote, but the point is the same. Despite Kawasaki's assertion that it was indeed suspending its factory support from MotoGP, the threat of lawsuit may cause the team to change its mind. According to Carmelo Ezpeleta, who heads Dorna, the company that holds the rights to MotoGP, Kawasaki is contractually obligated to stay in MotoGP through 2011 and must ensure that its two ZX-RR race bikes take part in the series in 2009. Assuming this happens, Dorna will release the team from its commitment for the final two years. If Team Green chooses not to comply, Dorna will seek financial compensation. Perhaps it's not surprising, then, that Kawasaki has indeed been testing its bikes in Australia, seemingly in preparation to race in the first event of the season on April 12 in Qatar.

[Source: 2 Wheel Tuesday]