Letter From Europe

LETTER FROM Europe

Kawasaki returns to racing

Kawasaki is about to make its long-awaited return to World Championship-level roadracing in Europe this year in the class which gave the company its last four-stroke world title: endurance racing. Moreover, Kawasaki is to do it with the men who were responsible for that world crown in 1982: Frenchmen Georges Godier and Alain Genoud.

Godier and Genoud have dominated the French Streetbike series in recent years with their overbored version of the 900 Ninja. That was superseded last season by a new ZRX 1000 with G&G Green Meanie bodywork, an improved chassis, an alloy swingarm and uprated components such as Brembo brakes and a Marzocchi M1R racing fork. Over 100 of these French Bimotas have now been built, and their high profile and competition success have helped to keep the

Kawasaki name in the minds of French racing enthusiasts.

For 1987, though, Godier and Genoud will be running an official Kawasaki factory endurance race team in the 24-hour events at Le Mans, Paul Ricard and Spa, and possibly in the Suzuka 8-hours in Japan (where they would compete against the Japanese team). Racekitted GPX750TT1

engines will be supplied by the factory, and installed in a G&G chassis. Bets are that once the G&G alloy race chassis is proved in competition this season, it will be productionized by Kawasaki for the 1988 model year as Kawasaki’s answer to Yamaha’s FZR750 Genesis,

Suzuki’s GSX-R750 and Honda’s new Hurricane 750. With what appears to be the most potent engine in the pack, Kawasaki would then have a real contender for the 1988 inaugural World Superbike Championship.

Alan Cathcart