Bartholemy: `No contact between Kawasaki and Valentino Rossi´

Kawasaki´s Competition Manager Michael Bartholemy has cleared up press speculation that the MotoGP team had approached Fiat Yamaha´s Valentino Rossi for a 2009 ride, stating that –although the team would be open to adding the Italian to their ranks- no such discussions have taken place between the two parties.

Speaking to motogp.com over the bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal weekend, following rumours about links between `Team Green´ and the five-time MotoGP World Champion, Bartholemy stated: `There was a story in an Italian magazine recently after a journalist came to me and asked me if we have any interest in Valentino.´

`I said we would have to be stupid not to be interested because he is the rider in the World Championship,´ continued Bartholemy. `But we have never spoken to him and there is no contact between Kawasaki and Valentino Rossi.´

When quizzed about Kawasaki´s long term recruitment plans, Bartholemy responded, `We look for riders who can get results. That´s the most important thing, we are involved in MotoGP to get results, so we are looking for somebody for our future.´

Kawasaki currently run riders John Hopkins and Anthony West in the premier class, with the former´s fifth place in Sunday´s race the best result for the team so far in 2008.