Ukawa, Matsudo join Moriwaki.

Moriwaki Racing have revealed that former MotoGP winner and HRC test rider Tohru Ukawa has joined their MotoGP development programme, while 250 GP veteran Naoki Matsudo will race for the team in the 2005 All Japan Superbike Championship.

Moriwaki's 2005 MotoGP programme will see the team continue to develop its MD211VF racer, which features an RCV engine in a Moriwaki chassis. The team won seven world championship points during a five race wild-card campaign, with Andrew Pitt and then Olivier Jacque, during 2004 and hope to improve that score further this year.

"Our 2005 MotoGP race schedule is not yet confirmed. We, however, hope to have a wild-card entries at Shanghai (Chinese GP) and Motegi (Japanese GP)," said Mamoru Moriwaki.

"Having an experienced MotoGP rider, in Ukawa, to develop our original MotoGP machine, I am very much looking forward to working with him in order for us to pull up the potential of MD211VF," he added.

"When I received the offer from the Moriwaki team, I felt happy thinking of being able to assist someone who is so motivated," explained Tohru. "I was touched and pushed by the passion and the challenging spirit of Mr. Moriwaki, which finally helped me decide what I should do.

"The race rider and the team's wild-card schedules are not confirmed, but I hope to further develop the MD211VF with Mr. Moriwaki so that whomever the race rider is going to be, he or she feels comfortable with the potential of the bike to compete in the grand prix," he added, perhaps ruling himself out of a race ride.

Meanwhile, after five years of world championship racing - often on uncompetitive machinery - Matsudo (lower pic) will ride a Honda CBR1000RR for the Moriwaki Motul Tiger team in the full All Japan Superbike Championship season.

"Having raced in GPs for the past five years, I am more confident and I am happy to join the Moriwaki team to compete back in the Japan Superbike Championship," said Naoki.

"Riding the Honda CBR1000RR should also be a positive experience for me in terms of studying how to control four-stroke bikes and thinking of what I should do in the future," he added. "In addition, I feel that the potential of the team and the bike is good enough to focus on winning the championship this year, and I will do my best to make it happen."

Although not stated, it is thought that Matsudo could well ride the MD211VF in at least some of Moriwaki's 2005 MotoGP events.