These are not happy days for Japanese motorsport fans. Following Honda's withdrawal from Formula One and Suzuki and Subaru's dual withdrawals from the World Rally Championship come reports that Kawasaki is pulling out of MotoGP.

The Japanese motorcycle manufacturer entered the premier two-wheel racing series in 2003 with hopes to take top honors, but in its five seasons of competition, it has failed to record a single victory. The factory team had hoped to make a go of it with a pair of new riders and their new ZZ-XR racing bike, but hard times mean that it's time to call it quits. Confirmation of Kawasaki's decision is expected to come on January 5, leaving MotoGP in an even tougher spot as it watches rival series World Superbike Championship gain BMW and Aprilia.

[Source: Autosport]