While Kawasaki has been almost as unsuccessful in World Superbike over the last few years as in MotoGP, a Kawasaki did win a World Superbike race as recently as 2006 when Britain’s Chris Walker won in the rain at Assen. The last Kawasaki Superbike podium was achieved by Fonsi Nieto, third at Magny Cours at the end of the 2007 season. Last year was a dismal SBK year for Kawasaki as the team’s best results were a pair of eighth places, one by Regis Laconi and the other by Makoto Tamada.
Kawasaki won the 1993 Superbike World Championship with American Scott Russell, riding, in fact, for the 'semi-works' Muzzy Kawasaki team. In the Grand Prix series Kawasaki won eight World Championships, four in 350cc and four in 250cc (South African Kork Ballington and German Mang each won two 250cc and two 350cc titles on the twin-cylinder
two strokes).
Kawasaki’s golden age in 250-350 began in 1978 when Ballington won both classes and ended in 1982 when Mang won the 350 title.
Kawasaki’s efforts in 500, led by Ballington, were unsuccessful, but in MotoGP Kawasaki is winless after six full seasons and with only four podiums. The bikes were progressing reasonably well until the absolutely dismal 2008 season which saw the two factory riders, American John Hopkins and Australian Anthony West, finish 16th and 18th in a series that had grids fluctuating between 16 and 19 bikes.
It might be argued that Kawasaki in Superbike and Supersport can be seen to at least be developing their basic street bikes, but their MotoGP involvement, at least last season, was probably regarded by the factory executives as having produced only negative publicity.
