Quote from: Speeddog on January 08, 2009, 11:40:38 AM
20M Euro total cost to pull out!   

no wonder carmelo wasn't worried.... 

same info, more or less: http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2009/Jan/090108kawinn.htm

Quote from: Speeddog on January 08, 2009, 11:40:38 AM
20M Euro total cost to pull out!   

...and that doesn't even include whatever other contractual obligations they had (hopper, melandri, sponsors, etc).

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2009/Jan/090108kawinn.htm

Apparently the 'incentive' was higher than that....

20M Euro per season for '09, '10 and '11.

That's a lot of skin.

getting a bill for $82 million wouldn't exactly accomplish the cost-cutting desires at KHI

contractual obligation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMmf-Vafv5s

but wait, there's more:

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=35303

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=35305

it's official!!

this sucks.   

I hope Hopper and Melandri can find rides somewhere else.

Maybe Hopper should use all his sponsorship money and run his own independent team for the season.

No comment from Hopper on his website, just a cut and paste of the official announcement from Kawi.   

Quote from: DesmoDiva on January 09, 2009, 06:38:01 AM
this sucks.   

I hope Hopper and Melandri can find rides somewhere else.

with no mention of Aspar, i bet an announcement is coming soon.  KHI isn't going to put themselves on the hook for 30+ million euro (this year) with no back-up plan.

or maybe they are.

Quote from: DesmoDiva on January 09, 2009, 06:38:01 AM
Maybe Hopper should use all his sponsorship money and run his own independent team for the season.

even with Monster dollars, he couldn't afford it.  and it would be a disaster.  better to sit home in RSF and play video games.

This sucks.

so we (maybe) have 1 less backmarker on the grid.  big deal.  i feel bad for hopper but it's not like he's hurting.  i feel worse for marco.  what a shit couple years.

even though i'm sure that KHI is suffering somewhat like the rest of the world, that is a HUGE company.  if they wanted to run 10 bikes, they could.  this was a partially the economy and partially them pouting b/c they did something in the first half of 2007 to the development of that bike that they haven't been able to reverse.  and it's theoretically more prudent to focus on the win-on-sunday-buy-on-monday series.

i say theoretically because, look at yamaha.

  ...this sucks.

What a shame, Kawi had some of the best looking paddock girls last year a Seca.

Quote from: pennyrobber on January 09, 2009, 12:24:38 PM
What a shame, Kawi had some of the best looking paddock girls last year a Seca.

you do realize those paddock girls are sourced "locally" and will likely still be at the races, yes?

Quote from: gm2 on January 09, 2009, 08:07:06 AM
so we (maybe) have 1 less backmarker on the grid.  big deal. 

I wish I was good enough to be a "backmarker".