Members of the European press (including close friends of MD) received the above photo (enhanced drawing?) from Kawasaki. It is the design of their in-line, four-cylinder, four-stroke MotoGP bike. Kawasaki has made the following statements regarding the 2002 season, and the development of this machine.
In 2002 we are looking forward to another exciting year of racing – our team structure is as follows:
In line with our plans to contest the FIM MotoGP class in 2003, 2002 will be a year of preparation and testing for us as we devote maximum effort towards developing our new In-Line Four GP machine. To this end, in 2002 we plan to enter our GP bike now under development in the All-Japan Road Racing Championship experimental class and in the world grand prix MotoGP class. However, it has not yet been decided which specific events the machine will contest. For MotoGP, it will probably be in the later rounds, and development is progressing with that goal in mind. Piloting the new machine will be talented World Superbike racer Akira Yanagawa, who will both test and race the bike.
