As the Moto GP riders John Hopkins and Marco Melandri sit around waiting for further developments between Kawasaki, who they are signed to ride for, and Dorna boss Carmelo Ezpeleta, who is trying to broker a deal to keep the riders on the grid for 2009, news has broken that Ilmor Engineering are interested in becoming a technical partner in a private team.
Michael Bartholemy the former Kawasaki team manager is currently in Japan having talks with the factory to try and clinch a deal to run the bikes with a private team for the 2009 series. Part of the package needs Kawasaki to agree a technical collaboration with an independent engineering company.
Having announced it’s withdrawal of it’s factory bike, Kawasaki does not have enough parts built for its ZZ-RR to compete for a full season and because of the financial crisis is unable to consider engine servicing or the development of new performance parts through the season.
Ilmor Engineering seem to fit the bill. The company has enjoyed success in Formula One and American Indy car racing in the past, although it’s previous interest in Moto GP ended after just one race in 2007, when they were unable to secure the sponsorship necessary to fund their project.
Ilmor would otherwise appear to be the perfect partner to work with a privateer team should the people involved be able to secure some kind of deal with Kawasaki.
The Moto GP news from Marco Melandri is that he has been told that a decision from the factory is likely to made today, so lets hope for the sake of the sport that will see the green machine on the grid at the start of the season.
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