Kawasaki MotoGP star Anthony West looks set to remain as a works rider but he won't be occupying a full-time position on the 800cc ZX-RR GP bike.
Team boss Michael Bartholemy has confirmed he has done a deal with Marco Melandri to ride alongside John Hopkins in 2009, subject to the suits at Kawasaki Heavy Industries rubber stamping it and added he does not want to lose West as part of the Kawasaki family.
It looks like West might well become a test rider for the team, going on occasional wild-card or third-entry outings, or he may be shoehorned into the Kawasaki PSG-1 World Superbike team with Regis Laconi (if he is still there and not off to Aprilia with Alex Hofmann).
Bartholemy said the factory had invested a lot of time and money in West to bring him up to MotoGP level and stated that West "could ride for us in another World Championship series". Of which there is only one, unless he's off to Kawasaki France in WEC...
