KAWASAKI RACING TEAM TEST - LE MANS, FRANCE
16 MAY 2005 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

KAWASAKI CONTINUE DEVELOPMENT AT LE MANS TEST

Kawasaki's Shinya Nakano and Olivier Jacque today returned to Le Mans, scene of
yesterday's French Grand Prix, to continue development work on the Ninja ZX-RR
MotoGP machine.

Nakano, who finished eighth in yesterday's race, started his test schedule
working with Kawasaki's tyre partner Bridgestone. The 27-year-old Japanese rider
tried two new generation rear tyres, with positive results.

In the afternoon session Nakano worked with his crew to refine the set up of his
Ninja ZX-RR, modifying engine brake settings and front suspension to increase
stability under braking in preparation for the demanding Mugello circuit, which
plays host to the next round of the MotoGP World Championship in two weeks time.

Inclement weather in Shanghai and Le Mans means that Jacque has had more
experience riding in the wet than in the dry since being drafted into the
Kawasaki Racing Team as a temporary replacement for the injured Alex Hofmann.
This left the 31-year-old Frenchman with little time to optimise the dry set up
of his Ninja ZX-RR for yesterday's French Grand Prix, in which he finished in a
creditable eleventh place.

Changes to the chassis and suspension settings today made it easier for Jacque
to change direction on the bike, while tweaks to the electronics package led to
improvements on corner entry and exit. Together, the changes allowed Jacque to
circulate the Le Mans circuit a full second faster than he managed in
yesterday's race.

Today's test marks the end of Jacque's official commitment to Kawasaki, although
there is a chance that the former 250cc World Champion could continue in a
development role with the factory, and the possibility of a wild card ride in
the future cannot be ruled out.

Shinya Nakano: #56 (58 laps - 1'34.74)

"This morning we tested a new rear tyre from Bridgestone, which improved the
overall handling of the bike and will probably be our choice for the Italian
Grand Prix at Mugello, where it's important to have a bike which is easy to
hustle through the chicanes. We also tried some different settings on the engine
management system, which together with some changes to the front forks led to an
increase in stability under braking. This is also important for Mugello.
Overall, it's been a successful test."

Olivier Jacque: #19 (50 laps - 1'34.89)

"For me this was really my first opportunity to ride the bike for a full day in
the dry without the pressure of having to chase a fast lap all the time. If you
like, this was the pre-season testing I didn't get the chance to do before I
raced in China and France. We set the plan for today's test after the race and
we've made some significant improvements to the set up of the chassis, the
engine brake settings and also the engine management system. I may not get the
chance to try these improvements on the Ninja ZX-RR in another race, but the
information from today will be useful to me in the future, and I hope it has
helped the factory with their development programme."