For the official Kawasaki WSB effort, run by Paul Bird Motorsport in conjunction with Kawasaki Heavy Industries itself, 2009 was a tough year at times but one in which much was learned. It was PBM's first season as an official squad in WSB, which brought its own level of complication and challenge for all involved.

Even through the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R was not a new model for the 2009 season, the expectations from within Kawasaki and the team itself were still higher than before. But rider injury to both Broc Parkes and Makoto Tamada unavoidably held back the development continuity of the race package, in a season where there were record numbers of top teams and riders to compete against.

"Our first priority was to get the team operating correctly and to get the relationship with Kawasaki working," said Kawasaki World Superbike Racing Team Manager Paul Risbridger (in photo with Parkes). "This was a new thing and we wanted this to be a long-term project and from that point of view I think it went as well as it probably could. If I am honest the results probably at the end of the year were a little disappointing compared to where we thought we would be. A lot of that was caused by the disruption to the riders, caused by injuries in the middle of the year. That didn't help us to maintain the other progress we made in the middle of the year. It levelled off towards the end of the season. But in overall progress with the bike we were happy with what we ended up with as a package, and feel we are in a good starting position for next year."

How did things change in the approach of the team during its first official year with Kawasaki?

"Our approach was to get the working relationship with Kawasaki right. Perhaps in the very short term that was maybe not the fastest way to develop the bike. We now have to develop the bike in conjunction with Kawasaki; we cannot just go off and do our own thing. That was a change for a lot of the guys, who used to be in control of their own destiny. As a manufacturer team you have to learn to work with the manufacturer and make the system work. This was a big change for Paul Bird Motorsport, and it is a fundamental change for a privateer team."

New signing Chris Vermeulen is currently testing the bike in Japan, so what is your goal for this particular session?

"The test is just the first run out on the bike for Chris, it is not a big technical test. It is also his first chance to meet staff from KHI, and get the first impression of the bike, get a feel for the bike. Then we start our real winter test programme in Cartagena and after this test he should be straight on it."