Aspar in it for long haul as Kawasaki talks continue
Added on Thursday, January 8th, 2009 by Carole Nash Editor
Kawasaki future still uncertain.
Aspar team boss Jorge Martinez says that any rescue deal for Kawasaki would have to be a long-term commitment and not simply a quick fix to fill up the MotoGP grid for 2009.
With Kawasaki set to pull out as a factory entrant from MotoGP due to budget constraints, talks are thought to be ongoing between the manufacturer, championship promoters Dorna and Martinez’s Aspar operation over maintaining a Kawasaki presence on the grid next season. Such a move would ensure that 19 riders remain on the grid for the coming year and mean that Kawasaki avoid a hefty penalty for reneging on their contract with Dorna, which runs until 2011.
Martinez has for some time been keen to run a Kawasaki in MotoGP, adding to their current 125 and 250 class operations but is seeking a three-year commitment from Kawasaki, rather than a short term deal.
“I offered my help to find a solution for Kawasaki, but up to now they haven’t come up to me with any precise proposal, including details,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I’d prefer to have two riders, but if it was to be just one for the first year, I’d accept that.
“What’s clear is that I’m not interested in a project limited to just this year: I want a programme for at least three years.”
Martinez added that he remained upbeat about both the Kawasaki talks, and MotoGP’s future.
“How do I feel? Optimistic, for this situation and more in general too,” he said. “I think that within one or two years the motorcycling world championship will come out of this crisis stronger.”
Meanwhile, Kawasaki have continued to remain tight-lipped over the saga, missing a self-imposed January 5th deadline to make an official announcement although one anonymous source as confirmed to AFP that talks over the team’s future are ongoing.
“The issue is under consideration,” said a team insider. “We have made no decision. We are in contact with parties concerned so that we can decide our future course of action.”
