Marco Melandri's four points for finishing twelfth in Sunday's Portuguese Grand Prix were enough to exceed the Constructors' points total scored by the factory Kawasaki team during the whole of the 2008 season.
Marco Melandri's 2009 rebirth reached a new high at Le Mans on Sunday, when the Italian took his 'privateer' Kawasaki to second place in a dramatic wet/dry French Grand Prix.
The 2009 MotoGP World Championship begins under floodlights in Qatar this weekend. Here is a team-by-team preview, followed by a summary of the main rule changes, heading into the new 17-round season... Fiat Yamaha Team - Valentino Rossi (46), Jorge Lorenzo (99):
After making his debut on the 2009 Kawasaki ZX-RR at the Qatar night test, it has been confirmed that Marco Melandri has agreed to race for 'Hayate' during the 2009 MotoGP World Championship.