We regularly read (with regret) that Kawasaki will not return to the premier Grand Prix category. The Japanese brand has, however, been active there twice, and you know the proverb…
However, his career in GP500 then in MotoGP does not argue in favor of a return, despite some really very interesting elements.
After the first chapter on the KR500then la genesis of the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR 1000cc, we therefore suggest that you revisit these green years in MotoGP.
3/ The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR MotoGP 1000cc in competition
Early 2003, Kawasaki is attacking its first year in MotoGP under the Fuchs Kawasaki name, with a relatively classic machine, derived from the Superbike.
| Motor | |
| Type | 4-cylinder 4-stroke |
| Displacement | 990 tsp |
| Cylinder head | 4 valves per cylinder, double camshaft, valve springs |
| Power supply | Keihin FCR-i electronic injection |
| Electronics | Denso |
| Lubrication | Wet sump |
| Power | 240 horses |
| Clutch | Dry, sliding |
| Gearbox | Cassette, 6 speed |
Under the direction of Harald Eckl, it is provided to 3 drivers for the first Grand Prix of the season at Suzuka: Gary McCoy, Andrew Pitt and Akira Yanagawa, the latter being a wildcard. Despite all the work done during the winter, the three ZX-RRs made a group shot in 16th, 17th and 18th positions (out of 21 drivers), more than a minute behind the winner, Valentino Rossi.
This rather modest starting point for the motorcycle built in Akashi will continue throughout the year, despite the occasional reinforcement of the test rider Alex Hofmann from Jerez. Finally, Gary McCoy will come out the best, with 11 points scored in the championship thanks, among other things, to a 9th place in the rain at Le Mans, compared to 8 in Alex Hofmann (10th in Assen) and only 4th in Andrew Pitt. The three drivers are respectively 22nd, 23rd and 26th in the championship.
At the end of the year, the king of skiing Garry McCoy is however thanked, just as Andrew Pitt.
In 2004: The two men are replaced by Shinya Nakano et Alex Hofmann who is promoted to full pilot. Technically, the motorcycle has a new fairing and a new frame, still quite classic, aluminum perimeter, but now built at Eskil Suter, in Swiss. Exhausts shorten. The ZX-RR still uses Denso electronics that lag behind Magneti Marelli. In September, during the test in Portugal, the drivers also tested a Magneti Marelli injection which will then be adopted.
Following in the footsteps of the Japanese pilot, Harald Eckl, head of the Kawasaki team, also signed with Bridgestone to replace Dunlop. “It's been a year of testing for us and Dunlop and we've made a lot of progress. However, I had some doubts because we were the only Dunlop team. After seeing Bridgestone's good results with Tamada and its Honda, I thought it would be a good alternative. Additionally, Kawasaki and Bridgestone have a close relationship in terms of production, so this would be another way for them to continue on this path. »
During the year, we will also try this new air intake.
Over the course of the races, the Kawasaki Ninja progressed well and even obtained a first podium in Japan, with Shinya Nakano, but, before that, the year is marked by falling at very high speed Shinya Nakano in the Mugello straight, following a burst of his rear tire.
Shinya Nakano miraculously escaped serious injury despite this fall at 300 km/h and escaped with bruises, a bruised left shoulder, a bruised wrist and an injured finger on his right hand.
At the end of the year, Shinya Nakano obtains 10th place in the championship, with 83 points, Alex Hofmann 15th with 51 points. Better, Kawasaki finished 4th in the manufacturers' championship, ahead of Suzuki, Aprilia, Proton, Harris and Moriwaki.
2005: The two drivers Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann are logically maintained. Olivier Jacque becomes test rider for a team now called Eckl Kawasaki.
A sign of his involvement in competition, Kawasaki Motors Japan decides to buy the then declining Autopolis circuit (now renovated), on the southern island of Kyushu in Japan. Built in 1990, it has a straight line of 902 m, 11 very technical right-hand curves and 6 left-handers, all on a 52-meter drop surrounded by the Kyushu mountains. The only drawback for the public is that it is located 2 hours drive from the nearest city, Kumamoto. For Kawasaki, on the other hand, it's not too far from Akashi...
The new Ninja ZX-RR is essentially distinguished by its new Big-Bang engine which replaces the Screamer. It now has 4 exhaust pipes and Magneti Marelli injection...
The debut at Jerez is convincing and Shinya Nakano obtained a promising 5th place there.
Shinya Nakano : " It's a fantastic start to the season for Kawasaki's new big-bang engine; I am obviously very happy. All the Kawasaki engineers did a great job, the engine was strong and there is more performance to come. The Bridgestone tires were also very good in these conditions. From the start I pushed really hard, but I just couldn't stay in the lead group, it was difficult to keep the pace while riding alone. I kept pushing until the finish and even when Barros passed me, I kept up with his pace and didn't lose any more positions. »
However, this will be his best ranking of the season, and not the best for Kawasaki since the end of April Olivier Jacque is called to replace Alex Hofmann who injured his left arm during a demonstration in town ahead of the Portuguese Grand Prix.
Although 31 years old and without much experience in the premier category (wildcard for Moriwaki), the French 250cc world champion will not miss his chance to compete in the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai and the French Grand Prix at Le Mans in finding within the KRT both the one who contested the 250 title until the last corner, but also the new technical director of Kawasaki in MotoGP, Ichiro Yoda, who was in charge of the development of the Yamaha 250cc during the world title in 2000.
And from his first race started from 15th position with the Kawasaki, Olivier Jacques created the feat by finishing 2nd in the rain at the Chinese Grand Prix despite a foggy visor, at the same time Kawasaki's best result in MotoGP, his personal best result in the premier class and Bridgestone's best result in the rain!
Valentino Rossi, winner of the race despite the incredible comeback of the Frenchman: “ I read that Olivier is coming to MotoGP for two races and China is just for training, so now we have to watch out for him at Le Mans. »
Ichiro Yoda (Technical director) : " Unbelievable, I can't believe this result and I don't understand why a rider like Olivier isn't in MotoGP full time. I hope the sport sees it more times. I worked with him at Yamaha for the 250 World Championship so this result today with Kawasaki is very special for both of us. »
Harald Eckl (Team Manager): “ A fantastic result, and a credit to Olivier in very difficult conditions. Two weeks ago at Estoril we saw that he still had what it took to race at this level, and today's result only proves that the decision to put him on our bike for this race, and for the next one at Le Mans, was the right one. The result also proves that Kawasaki engineers have built an engine suitable for these conditions. Finally, I have to say a big thank you to our tire partner Bridgestone, because they have done a lot of work on their rain tires. »
At Le Mans, two weeks later, his performance was more modest but honorable, with an 11th place, 3 positions behind his teammate who was himself handicapped by an engine problem.
Harald Eckl (Team Manager): « After Shinya's strong qualifying performance, this result is a bit disappointing for everyone on the team, as we expected a top-six result to be possible in the race. The technicians are still checking Shinya's engine problem, but he heard noise and felt a misfire, so he did the right thing to ride for points. As for OJ, he had another fantastic race for Kawasaki, with tests and trials in the dry limited. He's still learning the Ninja ZX-RR and the Bridgestone tires, but he gave us a great result, second in China, which was obviously a highlight for the team. »
“Mission accomplished” for the Frenchman who was hired as a test rider but only saw the Kawasaki in racing again in Germany for four more unlucky events at the end of the season…
At the end of the year, the season confirmed to be in progress for Kawasaki, not only with the success ofOlivier Jacque but also the ten Top 10 of Shinya Nakano.
The KRT team once again ranks 4th in the constructors' championship ahead of Suzuki despite a dark weekend at Motegi, this time with 126 points. Shinya Nakano obtains the same 10th position with 15 points better than in 2004 and will leave for a new season in green.
Alex Hofmann, injured and generally irregular despite a good 8th place at Donington, will be dismissed.
Shinya Nakano, who did the last race in Valencia with an injured hand on the first day, is not taking part in the post Valencia test, while Randy de Puniet made his first appearance there to test for the first time the Ninja ZX-RR that he will ride during the 2006 season. He was joined by Olivier Jacques, Kawasaki test and development rider.
Randy de Puniet : “On the first day I focused on adapting my riding style, then carried out engine management tests and fuel injection adjustments, with the possibility of doing regular laps on the third day . Coming from a 250, the weight, power and engine braking of a MotoGP machine are completely different, but I'm happy with my progress: I have a good feeling, both from the bike and the tires. »
Harald Eckl: “He still has a lot to learn and understand, especially with things like engine braking, having come from 250cc two-strokes, but he is progressing very well.”
The following month, during the 3-day test in December at Sepang, Shinya Nakano places a first version of the 2006 ZX-RR prototype within 3 tenths of the best time achieved by MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi: “I wasn't sure if I could ride here for three days because I still had pain and stiffness in my left hand. But in the end, I was able to complete the test and was able to attack the last afternoon. I am very happy because we have completed a big work program with the new prototype which has set a new direction, with both better handling and better engine response. I tried two different ignition timings to provide our engineers with data to evaluate the best combination of torque and peak horsepower. I am very positive after this test and am looking forward to the next stage of development after a short vacation. “
Harald Eckl: « The 2006 ZX-RR prototype is still not in its final specification as Kawasaki engineers continue to prepare, but so far the response from the new chassis and engine is very positive and clearly a step in the good steering, especially regarding stability and handling. We still need to improve the performance and controllability of the engine and we now have very good data for the future. »
2006: It is therefore Shinya Nakano and Randy de Puniet who are responsible for defending the (slightly modified) colors of Kawasaki in Grand Prix, while Olivier Jacque continues the development work.
The ZX-RR, still very classic, has a more powerful engine and a more manageable chassis, and now allows you to be in the leading group, at least in qualifying.
Here is its engine, still for the moment with valve springs… but now managed by 100% Magneti Marelli electronics based on a Marvel 4 ECU much more efficient than the Denso system. This will result in much better performance and, for the record, the ex-Aprilia technician who was able to convince Kawasaki at the time to choose Italian electronics, Danilo Casonato, still works today for the Akashi firm, in Superbike…
Shinya Nakano: “ When Kawasaki told me they were going to prepare a new bike for 2006, I asked them not to make too many changes because last year's bike had a lot of positives. So even though the 2006 Ninja ZX-RR is completely new, it has a lot in common with last year's bike. It is more of an evolution than a revolution. This bike has kept the positive points of the previous version but it also offers considerable improvements in several key areas. The package is much more competitive this year, as we saw during the extra-European tests and the IRTA tests where we closed the gap quite significantly with the other manufacturers. »
Like last year, the first Grand Prix in Jerez smiled on the greens, and Shinya Nakano qualified in 3rd position, thus equaling his best qualification at the Malaysian Grand Prix in 2004, before arriving in 7th place.
Shinya Nakano is having a very good year in terms of qualifying, since the Japanese driver will start 16 times from the Top 9 out of 17 races. Unfortunately, the results were less good during the races, despite a high point at Assen with a 2nd place, Kawasaki's best result in MotoGP.
Harald Eckl (team manager): « Today is a very special day for Shinya Nakano and the Kawasaki Racing Team. Shinya scored his best result ever in MotoGP, ending the run of bad luck we had over the last few rounds. I would also like to say a big thank you to the team, who worked hard for this result today. I'm sorry about Randy. Once again, he was put at a disadvantage through no fault of his own, but he fought hard to pick up championship points and increase his valuable experience. I hope that in the next race at Donington he gets the chance to show the potential he undoubtedly possesses. »
We can see in the photo the new fairing that the Kawasaki team has been using since Mugello. Designed by Kawasaki engineers in Japan, in collaboration with the same technology institute involved in the aerodynamic development of Japan's famous Shinkansen bullet train, the new fairing is said to offer some advantage on the straights.
At the end of the year, Kawasaki fell to 6th place in the manufacturers' championship with 109 points, behind Honda, Yamaha, Ducati, Suzuki and even Kenny Roberts' team: it's a hard pill to swallow...
Often marked by bad luck in racing while he was often brilliant in qualifying, the year of Randy de Puniet is more difficult than that of his teammate, crowned by a 10th place in Portugal. The Frenchman scored 37 points in his first year at Kawasaki and has a two-year contract.
Despite the 92 points scored by Shinya Nakano at the end of his third year with the greens, the native of Chiba and resident of Barcelona will leave the ZX-RR at the end of the year for the Konica Minolta Honda team of Gianluca Montiron.
Harald Eckl : " Shinya has decided to leave Kawasaki at the end of the season, so we have to look for another rider. Aoyama has a contract with KTM and I think we have to respect the commitments of the different parties involved. »
After two years spent developing the ZX-RR, Olivier Jacque finally sees himself established alongside Randy de Puniet.
In November 2006, Kawasaki parts ways with Harald Eckl who had led his MotoGP team since 2002, due to his “serious participation in a competitor’s MotoGP activities”. It was then a matter of Ilmor, company founded in 1984, by the Swiss mario illien and the British Paul Morgan, two former Cosworth engineers, who will line up the X2007 in 3 in collaboration with Eskil Suter…but had already ridden the bike in Portugal and Valencia.
As a result, Kawasaki also breaks all relations with the latter and the frames of the ZX-RR 2007 will be produced in-house.
Technically, the big news will be the passage of MotoGP to 800cc, but this is another story that we will tell you soon…
To be continued.
Find the first chapter on the KR500 here
Find the second chapter on the genesis of the Ninja ZX-RR here
