Tom does it - f*** yeah!

Kawasaki are World Superbike champions once again after 20 years (and losing last year's title by half a point...).

maximum respect for tom and team for turning the midfield runner ZX-10 into the best superbike out there.

www.kawasaki-racingteam.eu/road-race/news.asp?Id=3400BCE622D

The horsepower war is over, nobody won. Anybody can make 200 horsepower these days, the trick is to translate that into quicker lap times. That's how Yamaha's M1 can still compete against Honda's RC213V in Moto GP, even though the Honda has that amazing motor. I'm excited about Suzuki returning to prototype racing, hopeful that Kawasaki comes back, too...

Sykes' team worked hard on setup, dialed in some finesse and weened that ZX off it's steady diet of Pirellis. That takes money, patience, insight and creativity.

Woohoo!! Way to go Tom and team green! It's good to see Kawasaki turn that ZX-10r from a nasty tire shredder into a bike capable of taking the championship. Tom tries so hard that you can't help but pull for him.

Now we need to see a green bike back in MotoGP. I'm growing weary of the current setup. It seems that if you aren't riding a Honda, then you don't have a real chance. Lorenzo is close, but only by the sheer force of will. Ducati isn't even competetive, and those CRT bikes have no business being out there. GP needs Suzuki and Kawi back in the game if it doesn't want to fade into obscurity.

testarossa wrote: It's good to see Kawasaki turn that ZX-10r from a nasty tire shredder into a bike capable of taking the championship.

interesting point, i used to write the tech column for a magazine for a few years and got to confess that i wrote one time that i dont believe that a regular firing motor is ever going to win a championship again ever. guess i need to find a tasty hat to eat.... it's pretty amazing that by deploying "just" some really shrewd electronic engine management strategies, kawasaki managed to get the same tire saving power quality of a V4, V2 or cross plane crank.

word around here has it that the current ZX traction control circuitry affect just two of the four cylinders so your essentially managing just 100 hp rather than the whole 200 hp on and off.

Great News Indeed! :woohoo:
I must admit that I missed viewing the World Superbike races this season thanks to demise of the Speed Channel as we know it.
Last year you could see Tom and his crew getting better as the season progressed. Tire management is crucial and really glad they have found a solution. Now if only Kawasaki would fully commit here in the USA.