Team by team: Kawasaki

The name Mike Grant still haunts Kawasaki. His win on the 1975 Isle of Man TT was the last time the manufacturer won a Moto GP race, and this season does not look like ending that barren run.

Too many things have happened over the winter: Management changes, a total re-location, protracted contract negotiations with a rider who had already decided to leave, late delivery of their new bike… The list goes on.

Kawasaki's relationship with former team boss Harald Eckl came to a sticky ending last year with him accused of becoming involved with Ilmor's race programme and sacked with a year still to run on his race preparation deal.

What they have achieved in just four months has been remarkable. Since Eckl's removal, the squad has undergone a total personnel re-structure with Ichiro Yoda and Michael Bartholemy instilled at the top of the tree, and re-located to Haarlem in the Netherlands.

Such an upheaval was bound to have an effect on the development of their 800cc machine, and indeed, the Ninja ZX-RR was among the last of the 2007 bikes to have it's track debut

As a result, they have generally languished in the mid-teens in the testing times, although Randy de Puniet did give the team a boost by leading a one-two on the final day of the last pre-season test at Jerez.

Frenchman de Puniet is certainly no Shinya Nakano, and showed only brief flashes of brilliance against Kawasaki's former rider in his rookie season.

Three second row starts were a true indication of his (and the bike's) one-lap speed, but he needs to repeat that form much more over a race distance than he has shown if he is to avoid falling off the radar.

Like de Puniet, 33-year-old Olivier Jacque had his best days in the 250cc world championship, winning the 2000 title before stepping up to Moto GP.

But unlike his countryman, time is not on his side, and with four or five exceptionally talented 250cc riders sure to be looking to move up to Moto GP next season, he really needs to prove he is still worth his weight. Still, if it rains, then perhaps only Alex Barros and Kenny Roberts Jr are faster.

Eurosport prediction: Jacque and de Puniet are good, but not great. What they can achieve this season will depend solely on the bike at their disposal. At least one top-five race finish must be the aim for both riders. They'll be nowhere in the championship though.