Engine overhaul inspires Kawasaki.

A revised engine will power the Kawasaki ZX-RR when MotoGP returns from its summer break this weekend at Brno; the Japanese factory having used the three-week race absence to provide its German based team with enhanced rideability and mid-range acceleration, plus a slight increase in rpm and top end power.

While race riders Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann were on vacation, Kawasaki engineers and test rider Akira Yanagawa achieved encouraging results from a series of tests in Japan using revised crankshaft mass and cylinder heads on the inline four-cylinder engine.

"There is no time to rest in MotoGP, as our hard working Kawasaki engineers in Japan demonstrated during the short break between Donington Park and Brno," stated Fuchs Kawasaki team manager Harald Eckl. "But I'm sure all our rival factory teams were doing the same, so I expect this first race back will be just as tough as all the others.

"The next stage of our engine development program has produced a little more top end power, with more RPM, but it has also focussed on improving mid-range engine response," he confirmed. "Akira Yanagawa tested motors with revised crankshaft mass and cylinder heads and Brno now provides the opportunity to measure the performance in race conditions."

Nakano, one of the stars of the first half of the season, used his time off to go home to Japan and visit family and friends, while team-mate Hofmann relaxed mainly at his home in Switzerland. Both kept up their fitness programs with motocross riding and - in Hofmann's case - cycling in the mountains in order to prepare for the remainder of the 2004 season.

"I want better results over the second part of the season and, hopefully, the work done by the Kawasaki engineers will enable us to capitalise on the potential of the ZX-RR," said Nakano. "I know Yanagawa-san did a lot of testing, so I'm looking forward to riding the bike at Brno where you need a strong motor. I'm just happy to be getting back on the bike."

"This will be my first time at Brno on the latest ZX-RR and I think it will suit the fast flowing sections of this track, although the uphill part and the long straight are always a test of engine performance," added Alex. "It's one of my favourite circuits, with a really great atmosphere and usually a lot of fans from Germany. I had some bad luck in the first part of the season, but that is behind me now. My aim is to be in the points at every GP and finish the season strongly."