The story of Kawasaki leaving MotoGP has been around for the last week or so on Crash.net
The
BBC reported on it this morning and
here is a press release via the AFP news agency, so it looks like its true.
"The effect of the current financial crisis on the global economy is extremely significant and an extended period of time is required for a recovery," Kawasaki said in a statement.
"We saw the need for efficient redistribution of our management resources and have decided to forgo participation in the Moto GP from 2009 on," it said.
So, that's 2 less people on the grid next year, Melandri and Hopkins.