Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/141048
Kawasaki Racing1973 Kawasak i is going into the 1973 motorcyc le racing season like no other manutacturer ever has. No one has ever put so much effort into motor cyc le raci ng. No other manu facturer has gone to such lengths to test and improve their product through all-out co mpetition on asphalt and dirt. No other manufacturer has ever centralized all its racing act ivities in one team to help build bett er production motorcycles. No other manufac turer has ever pledged one third million dollars in contingency money to boost racing and reward the people ridi ng their motorcycle . And consider this! No other manufa cturer has ever put its rep utation on the line lik e Kawasaki is in 1973. We have a new " Kawasaki look" and thousands of riders wi ll wea r it. That means we 've put our produ ct and our name right out there in a make -it or break-i t situatio n. You won 't have to read about how great our bikes are. Or listen to a lot of talk abo ut per forman ce . You'll see it happen-all over the co untry. It's a risk no other manufacturer is willing to take. But then, no other manufa cturer makes a Kawasaki. This year , Kawasaki riders and Kawasaki motorcycl es will be the ones everyone else will try to beat. That' s not bad for a company that importe d its first motorcycle just seven years ago . And entered its fi rst race just five year s back. This book is about our factory rider s and the machines they rid e. Ab out the tremendous group of independent riders . About why Kawasa ki race s. And most important, what it means to you ... why we say " you win " everytime Kawasa ki co mes out ahead . Why Kawasaki Races Kawasak i races because rac ing help s Kawasaki build better motorcycles . Kawasak i has never built a motorcycle stri ctl y for factory raci ng - and we probably never will. Every bike used by Team Kawasaki is, or will be availab le to the pub lic in a prod uction version. Testing New Ideas Team Kawasaki and Kawasaki Research and Development start with stock machines. We tinker with them, improve them, race them, win with them . Then we put everyth ing we've learned bac k into production motorcycles for sale to the public . Or we use that know ledge to develop bra nd new trend -setting mac hines like the super 900cc Z-1. Even when Kawasa ki build s a new motorcyc le from the ground up - like Brad Lacke y's 450cc F1 2 - it' s bui lt for the publ ic. Not a superesoteric works machine nobody wi ll ever see off the race track. Brad's bike is a proto type prod uct ion model - he mer el y le sted it on h is way to th e U.S. Mo tocr oss Champi ons h ip. Sound unbelievable? It' s fact. R&D Runs Race Program Team Kawasaki is part of Kawasaki Researc h and Developm ent. The R &D enginee rs who work on Brad Lackey and Yvon DuHamel's racing machines are the same guys who help develop Kawasaki's prod uct ion motor cycles. Do es thi s co nce p t wo rk ? Test it your se l f on a Kawasa k i. More Prize Money Than Anybody, Ever Team Kawasaki and independent Kawasak i riders will be competing for $327,000 in cash and motorcycl es this