KAWASAKI PRE-SEASON TEST - JEREZ, SPAIN
25 FEBRUARY 2005

NAKANO IMPROVES LAP TIME AS HOFMANN TESTS BIG BANG

Alex Hofmann got the opportunity to test the big bang version of Kawasaki's
Ninja ZX-RR MotoGP machine for the first time during the third and final day of
testing at the Jerez circuit in Southern Spain.

Hofmann started today's test schedule with the screamer engine he has used in
his Ninja ZX-RR for the past two days, but after running confirmation tests on
development chassis components and settings during the morning, he switched over
to the big bang motor for the afternoon session.

After familiarising himself with the characteristics of the new engine, the
24-year-old German rider concentrated on refining basic set-up, and working with
Kawasaki engineers on fuel injection mapping.

After stepping off the bike at the conclusion of the test, Hofmann commented
that he could feel the potential the revised firing order offered, but felt that
there was still a lot of work to do before the full potential could be realised.

Running a big bang engine with a slightly different specification to that of his
team-mate, Shinya Nakano completed the test and development programme started on
Wednesday. The 27-year-old Japanese rider completed 59 laps during a full day of
testing, and was rewarded with a lap time that was one second faster than his
previous best.

Nakano will continue the development of the big bang 2005 Ninja ZX-RR at the
Valencia circuit during a two-day test on 7/8 March and a one-day test on 16
March, before being rejoined on track by Alex Hofmann for the annual IRTA tests
at Catalunya and Jerez.

Alex Hofmann: 54 laps (1'42.8)

"This morning I retested some of the components and settings from yesterday,
just to confirm our findings. Then it was onto the big bang bike for the first
time. Today was all about getting a first impression of the new engine, and you
can feel that there is definitely potential there, but it's still in the early
development stages and it won't be until we arrive at a better base set-up that
we'll be able to judge exactly how much potential this engine has. Hopefully
Shinya will be able to take things to the next step at the next test. Overall
I'm pretty happy with how things have gone over the past three days. We've
tested a lot of new components and settings during an intensive test schedule,
and I leave here having achieved a reasonable lap time for the conditions."

Shinya Nakano: 59 laps (1'41.7)

"We continued to work on the new engine today. Finding the right set-up for such
a new engine is not so easy, but this afternoon we found some good settings and
that allowed me to improve my lap time. I also tested a new swinging arm on the
bike this afternoon, and the results were also positive. It felt like it
improved traction out of the corner, especially when hard on the gas. Overall
I'm happy with the progress we've made. It's been a busy test, and there's still
a lot of development work needed before the start of the season. But we leave
here having found a good base set-up with the new bike, ready for the next round
of testing at Valencia, which is just ten days away."

Harald Eckl: Team Manager

"We've seen a small step forward with the big bang bike during this test, which
shows that development is heading in the right direction, but we are well aware
that time is not on our side. The first race of the season is lgetting ever
closer and we know we have a lot of hard work to do between now and then if we
are going to realise the full potential of the latest Ninja ZX-RR. Shinya is
definitely earning his salary this year, and I know that everyone in the team
appreciates the effort he's putting into developing this new engine. And Alex
has worked hard to evaluate changes designed to improve the chassis. Overall
this has been a positive test for the team."