Kawasaki's Race Director Ichiro Yoda speaks to Matthew Birt about the new season

 

The man leading up Kawasaki’s MotoGP effort has spoken about the 2007 season. 

The team sat Race Director Ichiro Yoda down for a mammoth Q&A to keep Kawaski fans in the loop – here’s what he had to say about the season ahead, and the new design ZX-RR to be raced by Randy de Puniet and Oilvier Jacque.

Q: There have been some big changes for the Kawasaki Racing Team since Kawasaki made the decision to bring the team 'in-house' for the 2007 season.

As part of this reorganisation you've been promoted to the position of Race Director, but how has that changed your role for the coming season?

A: Now Kawasaki has brought their MotoGP team in-house, my role has changed significantly. 

Our Technical Manager, Naoya Kaneko, will now take responsibility for technical issues, while I take on more of the commercial aspects of running a MotoGP team, such as budget control.

I will also be working closely with our Competition Manager, Michael Bartholemy, in other areas, such as human resources and logistics. 

It's a big change for me, but I'm looking forward to my new role with the team. 

My biggest task this season will be to put in place the new way of operating as an in-house, factory team, as this will be different to last year. 

This year our only focus is on results and development.

Q: Will you be based in Japan this coming season, or will you move to Europe to be closer to the team base in the Netherlands?

A: I will be based at the headquarters of Kawasaki Motors Europe in Amsterdam, which is about two hours drive from the team's offices in Heerlen.

Q: Will your new role still allow you to play an active part in the development of the Ninja ZX-RR?

A: Development will continue in Japan, but that doesn't mean that we won't use outside suppliers in Europe for certain components.

Because I'll be based in Europe I will be much better placed to ensure that we choose the best supplier for the job, and that the components meet our requirements, both in terms of quality and delivery time. 

So yes, I will still have some involvement in the development process.