The 2007 season will be de Puniet's second with the Kawasaki Racing Team. The 25-year-old Frenchman enjoyed a solid debut year in the MotoGP class with Kawasaki, during which he showed his potential on a number of occasions, whilst also gaining valuable experience with every outing aboard his Ninja ZX-RR.
De Puniet's professional approach to his racing this season, combined with a fierce determination to succeed, was enough to convince Kawasaki Racing Director, Kenichi Furuhashi, that the Frenchman was the right person to lead Kawasaki's assault on the 2007 MotoGP World Championship.
De Puniet is Kawasaki's investment for the future, and by backing up this investment with a seasoned campaigner such as Jacque, Furuhashi-san is confident that the young Frenchman will be able to fully realise his obvious potential next season, as he steps up to fill the team leader's position vacated by Shinya Nakano.
Jacque, whose work as Kawasaki's test and development rider this year has been instrumental in the increasing competitiveness of the Ninja ZX-RR, will make his debut as a full time Kawasaki rider in November, during a planned test at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia where, together with teammate de Puniet, he will participate in the first shakedown tests of the 800cc machine that both Kawasaki pilots will campaign during the 2007 season.
Teaming a young rider like de Puniet with an experienced development rider such as Jacque will pay dividends for Kawasaki next season, with input from both riders accelerating the development of the Japanese manufacturer's 800cc Ninja ZX-RR into a race-winning package.
Olivier Jacque: #19
'For sure I'm very happy to have been given this opportunity by Kawasaki. To be honest, after finishing second in Shanghai one year ago, I was expecting the call up last season. But, the circumstances were not right and the decision was made to go with a young head - but now the old head is back! With a new bike to develop for next season experience will be important, and I'm pleased that Kawasaki view me as the person to help develop their new 800cc Ninja ZX-RR. It is good to have the hard work we've done in developing this season's bike into a competitive package recognised with a full-time ride for the factory team. What feels strange for me is that, despite so many years in Grand Prix racing, this will be the first full factory team I have ridden for since winning the 250cc world title in 2000. I'm certainly looking forward to the challenge ahead, and I can't wait to test the new bike for the first time later this month.'
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