Forward Racing owner Giovanni Cuzari
spoke earlier this week about his goal of providing an 'appealing' team format for a
MotoGP constructor.
Suzuki - already gearing up for a planned 2014 return but apparently in need of grid places - seemed the obvious candidate, alongside an engine partnership with Yamaha or perhaps the production RC213V from Honda.
But Cuzari has now revealed 'contact' with another much more surprising manufacturer: Kawasaki.
The Italian told
GPone.com: "We are already talking about 2014. I just got back from a meeting with Ezpeleta [CEO of Dorna], where we discussed the projects of Honda and Yamaha. I have also had contact with Suzuki and Kawasaki."
Forward Racing was formed from the 'Hayate Racing Team', created by Kawasaki to run
Marco Melandri on unbranded ZX-RRs in 2009, following the factory's official
MotoGP withdraw at the start of that year.
If Kawasaki does want to return, and with Dorna unwilling to add extra grid places, a partnership with Forward would therefore be an obvious choice.
Forward is to use Kawasaki-powered FTRs for their 2013 CRT
MotoGP entries, ridden by
Colin Edwards and Claudio Corti.
Kawasaki's factory team raced in
MotoGP from 2002-2008, claiming four podiums before 'suspending' its
MotoGP activities due to the financial crisis - a decision repeated by Suzuki at the end of 2011.
Unlike Suzuki, which has kept news of its MotoGP project alive since its withdraw, nothing has been heard from Kawasaki regarding grand prix.
Since leaving MotoGP, Kawasaki has increased its involvement in the World Superbike Championship, finishing second last season with Tom Sykes.