Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

TAMADA TO RIDE FOR KAWASAKI IN 2008 SBK CHAMPIONSHIP
Newsflash, 1 December 2007 - Kawasaki is delighted to announce that SBK and MotoGP race winner Makoto Tamada is to join Regis Laconi in a strong two-man PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse team for the 2008 World Superbike Championship.
Negotiations between Kawasaki and Tamada reached a successful conclusion on 30 November, and now Tamada returns to the championship in which he first came to international notice, thanks to three victories as a wild card entrant on home ground at Sugo.

He further underlined his quality when he moved to the MotoGP class shortly afterwards, winning two races in 2004, one at home in Motegi and the other at Rio.

Tamada has been a target for Kawasaki for some time and his signing consolidates the PSG-1 team and Kawasaki’s mutual commitment to gain

Fantastic news ; anyone who can remember how he slashed his way through the '00 All-Japan Superbike championship on a 2nd-tier RC45 knows how good this guy was - and hopefully still is, after years in the MotoGP wilderness.

Cheers,
Brian

i think that is great news as well, he seemed to be a bit lost in the last couple of seasons. I hope that the factory ride will lift his game. My favourite ride of his was when he shoved it up Gibernau in Japan a few years ago (for which he was very unfairly penalised).
WSBK 2008 looks to be a cracker of a season coming up.

I cant help thinking he's a dud !!!! I hope I'm wrong !

Great news

i remember watching some SBK race in japan, may have been Sugo.



all i was thinkin was "Bloody Japs!"

he was riding the Cabin honda VTR i think, wiping everyones asses!!

Hope he goes well, he's a good pointer

lets hope he HTFU's and wins some races..

I like this signing. The guy can definately ride and probably would have remained competitive in MotoGP if he stayed on his preferred Bridgestones. Alongside Laconi, I think there is every opportunity for multiple Kawasaki race wins, if the new 10R is as good as it looks. Add in the 2 youngsters in Badovini and Iannuzzo and there is a nice balance about Kawasaki in WSB for 08. The only detraction is that Badovini and Iannuzzo will be running 07 10R's with Pedercini which makes no sense to me whatsoever.