| Team
Telefonica MoviStar Honda today officially completed the signature of
Ryuichi Kiyonari for the remainder of the 2003 season, with an option
for another year in 2004. The 20 year old from Saitama, Japan, will make
his debut appearance at the upcoming Grand Prix Polini de France on the
25th May. Previously, Kiyonari raced in the ST600 Class of the 2002 All
Japan Road Race series, winning four of the eight races he entered and
taking the championship in his debut year. The youngster gained
international recognition with second place in the World Supersport
round at Sugo last month, despite having never ridden there before.
`He is a young and talented rider and
we´ve got lots of time to build up a strong relationship,´ said Team
Manager Fausto Gresini. `With more experience he should be one of
MotoGP´s top riders.´
Kiyonari, who hopes to test the
RC211V before riding at Le Mans on Friday, added: `When I found out that
it was decided I´d be joining the MotoGP team, it was really sudden. I
was both surprised and really happy... to be perfectly honest, what I´m
feeling right now is more a kind of impatience to get going rather than
nervousness. First I have to get used to the new situation, then I hope
to keep on riding as I have been. |
