Got this from www.superbikeplanet.com

Friday, January 09, 2009
KAWASAKI PRESS RELEASE
Tokyo, January 9, 2009 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.
ENDS

That sucks. The more bikes in the race the better. Hope they come back with a support team or next year.

 

Moto GP's website is now stating they are going to try and do a privateer Kawasaki team. I hope Hopper finds a place in GP somewhere. I know if he does the privateer route it will pay way less.

 

well, at least its an official announcement now, i couldnt find one last week.

http://www.johnhopkins21.com/
http://www.kawasaki-motogp.com/news....ish&page=1

 

don't think anyone even new Kawasucki even raced moto gp

 

Yes. We even did. And it was even great to see them around, even. Maybe even Kawasaki will return sooner than even later.

 

Wasnt' Kawasakii the team to beat back in the 80's. Or was it the 90's? Anyway I love thier bikes. Hope they don't take to much time off.

 

It's sad but it's hard to blame them for this decision. They were the slowest bikes in the field. I wish that they would force the companies to have more even bikes. The people designing these things are so focused on top speed and technology that the racing has suffered. Valentino Rossi is right when he says how MotoGP isn't as entertaining as it was before traction control and the intro of the 800s. F1 just met recently and descussed cost cutting measures. If F1 can manage to reduce costs and level the playing field then why can't MotoGP? I hope Hopkins can still find a ride.

 

It sucks for sure. Im not a Kawasaki fan in motoGP, but the end result is a bad one. MotoGP is more than just the factories racing against each other. Its basically an R&D department that people get to watch. The amount of information the factories get from MotoGP is what makes the bikes we all drive. They dont dump all that money into it just to win, they do it to get information to build their next years superbikes.

 

I like all kinds of bikes, even Kawas. [8D]