TORONTO, Ont. (January 13) Canadian Kawasaki Motors has secured the services of Toronto-based Competition Systems to handle Kawasaki’s assault in the 2010 Parts Canada Superbike Championship. The team will consist of one rider and focus exclusively on the Superbike feature class with Kawasaki’s potent Ninja ZX-10R. The new entity will be called Competition Systems Kawasaki Race Team. For the past several years, Canadian Kawasaki Motors has run its national road race program in-house. Last summer the squad claimed its fourth straight titles in the Parts Canada Superbike and Yoshimura Pro Sport Bike divisions. Mike Crompton of Competition Systems has been the crew chief for the Kawasaki program through its run of success and will now take over as team owner of the new race program. Some of the existing crew will continue with the team and a rider and sponsors will be announced within a few days. “Due to a number of circumstances we have decided to suspend activities with our factory program for 2010,” said Jeff Comello of Canadian Kawasaki Motors. “But despite this state of change we have tried to keep as much continuity as possible and Mike Crompton and Competition Systems are the perfect fit. We have been together now for four-plus years and have enjoyed a great deal of success.” Crompton has some 40 years of experience in the Canadian motorcycle industry, supplying engines and race equipment to some of the country’s leading competitors. “Canadian Kawasaki Motors is a great company and I’m looking forward to this,” Crompton said. “We already have a good team structure and equipment. We’ve spent a number of years building this program and all we have to do is just continue what we’ve started.” The agreement between Canadian Kawasaki Motors and Competition Systems is for one year and will be re-evaluated at the end of the 2010 racing season. “Kawasaki is committed to showcasing the Ninja brand in competition and we feel strongly that we need to be behind the Parts Canada Superbike Championship,” Comello said. “This is the perfect venue for us to display our products.” “We all have to dig deep and support the series,” Crompton added. “It is important to do what we can to have a successful 2010 and build on that for 2011 and beyond.” In addition to claiming the past four Parts Canada Superbike titles Canadian Kawasaki Motors enjoyed a string of nine straight national championships from 1991 to 1999, and also claimed the first two Canadian crowns in 1980 and ’81 with riders George Morin and Lang Hindle, respectively. The 2010 Parts Canada Superbike Championship opens May 28-30 at Circuit ICAR in Mirabel, Que.